Long-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Max Moser, Angela Barrett, Christian F J Woll-Weber et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP) for reducing depressive symptoms across 16 randomized controlled trials with 1992 participants. LTPP demonstrated significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared to all comparators (SMD = 0.34) and active treatments (SMD = 0.27), with effects generally sustained at follow-up.
Key findings
- LTPP resulted in a significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared to all comparators (SMD = 0.34).
- When compared to active treatments, LTPP showed a reduction in depressive symptoms (SMD = 0.27).
- Subgroup analyses indicated larger effects when LTPP was compared to active controls (SMD = 0.61).
- High-certainty evidence supports LTPP for depressive symptom outcomes in the all-trials condition.
Why it matters
Understanding the effectiveness of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy can guide clinicians in selecting appropriate treatment options for patients with depression, particularly when considering long-term therapeutic strategies.
What to keep in mind
Risk of bias was a concern in most studies, and small study numbers limited moderator analyses.