Videoconferencing psychological therapy and anxiety: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Telemedicine
• Psychological Therapies

Background:

• Rising global anxiety disorder prevalence necessitates expanded mental health services.
• Primary care settings are increasingly utilized due to limited specialized providers, especially in low-income nations.
• Telemedicine, particularly videoconferencing, addresses mental health provider shortages through collaborative care models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review videoconferencing psychological therapy for anxiety disorder treatment.
• To summarize existing research on the efficacy and effectiveness of this treatment modality.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of PubMed, PsychINFO, and Embase databases.
• Inclusion of controlled and uncontrolled studies evaluating videoconferencing psychological therapy.
• Quality appraisal using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment tool.

Main Results:

• 21 studies met inclusion criteria, evaluating various anxiety disorders treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• 14 studies reported statistically significant anxiety measure improvements; 11 showed clinically significant improvements.
• Controlled studies found no significant differences between videoconferencing and face-to-face therapy.

Conclusions:

• Videoconferencing psychological therapy shows promise for delivering evidence-based anxiety treatments.
• Further rigorous research is recommended across diverse settings and populations to solidify findings.