Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Problem-solving therapy (PST) is a well-researched psychotherapy for adult depression.
• Recent meta-analyses examining PST's comparative effectiveness are lacking.
• Previous studies indicated high heterogeneity in PST treatment effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To verify the effectiveness of PST compared to control groups and other treatments.
• To identify potential sources of heterogeneity in PST's effects.
• To compare PST's efficacy against other depression psychotherapies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic searches were conducted in major bibliographical databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase, Cochrane).
• Included 30 randomized controlled trials (N=3530) comparing PST to controls, other therapies, or pharmacotherapy.
• Compared PST trials with 259 trials on other psychotherapies for adult depression.

Main Results:

• PST vs. control groups showed a large effect size (g=0.79) with high heterogeneity (I²=84%).
• Studies with low risk of bias (9 studies) yielded a smaller effect size (g=0.34) with low heterogeneity (I²=32%).
• PST's effectiveness was comparable to other psychotherapies, with no significant difference in meta-regression analyses.

Conclusions:

• Problem-solving therapy is likely an effective treatment for depression.
• PST demonstrates small effect sizes, comparable to other psychological treatments for depression.
• The findings highlight the importance of considering study quality when evaluating PST effectiveness.