Does Emotional Working Memory Training Ameliorate Anxiety and Depression? A Meta-Analytic Review

Depression and anxiety disorders are associated with deficits in several cognitive domains. This meta-analytic review assessed the effects of emotional working memory training (eWMT) on depression and anxiety and their related emotional and cognitive domains. Eligible studies were assessed for changes in depression, anxiety, emotion and cognition after eWMT. Methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's guidelines, and random-effects models aggregated the results of individual studies. Of 1314 studies identified, 16 were included (883 participants; mean age range, 14.35-68.79 years; 70.44% female). Nine studies were high quality, seven were moderate quality, and none were low quality. There was relatively high heterogeneity across studies and study populations. The eWMT significantly reduced depression (standardized mean difference [SMD], -2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], -3.68 to -0.39; p = 0.02) and anxiety (SMD, -0.44; 95% CI = -0.23 to -0.17; p < 0.001) and significantly enhanced reappraisal (SMD, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.66; p = 0.03) and working memory capacity (SMD, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.53; p < 0.001), with no significant effect on rumination. Training frequency, training environment, and type of control group differentially affected working memory capacity. Our results demonstrated that eWMT alleviated depression and anxiety, but not rumination, and improved the related factors of reappraisal and working memory. Given the limited number of studies and substantial heterogeneity in the data, further research is needed to support these results.