A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Unified Protocol as a transdiagnostic emotion regulation based...

Recent advances in clinical practice emphasise transdiagnostic interventions as an effective alternative to single disorder approaches. This current systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the treatment efficacy of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) across internalising disorders, as an emotion regulation (ER) based intervention program. Across 15 studies and 1244 participants, large effect size reductions were found across symptoms of anxiety, depression, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder with/without agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder. In addition, there were moderate effect sizes indicating increased use of adaptive and decreased use of maladaptive ER strategies, highlighting the UP as an effective ER based intervention. Secondary treatment benefits in functional impairment and quality of life were also evident. Implications on future transdiagnostic ER based research are discussed.