Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reduce depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Depression is a prevalent mental health condition requiring effective therapeutic interventions.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that has shown promise in treating various psychological disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of ACT in reducing depressive symptoms.
• To explore the influence of follow-up duration, depression severity, and patient age on ACT's effectiveness through subgroup analysis.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies involving 1,088 participants published between January 2010 and August 2018.
• Studies were identified through searches of major electronic databases (CNKI, WANFANG, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO).
• Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool, with meta-analysis performed using Review Manager 5.3.

Main Results:

• ACT significantly reduced depression compared to control groups (SMD = 0.59, 95% CI [0.38, 0.81]).
• Subgroup analyses indicated significant effectiveness at post-intervention, three-month follow-up, for mild depression, and in adult groups.
• Four studies were high-quality, and 14 were moderate-quality.

Conclusions:

• ACT demonstrates significant efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms.
• The therapy is particularly effective for adults with mild depression and shows benefits at three-month follow-ups.
• Further investigation is warranted for ACT's effects on moderate to severe depression and long-term outcomes.