Computer-aided psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: a meta-analytic review

Pim Cuijpers; Isaac M Marks; Annemieke van Straten; Kate Cavanagh; Lina Gega; Gerhard Andersson

doi:10.1080/16506070802694776

Computer-aided psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: a meta-analytic review

Pim Cuijpers, Isaac M Marks, Annemieke van Straten, Kate Cavanagh, Lina Gega, Gerhard Andersson

The Hull York Medical School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Computer-aided psychotherapy (CP) is said to (1) be as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, while requiring less therapist time, for anxiety disorder sufferers, (2) speed access to care, and (3) save traveling time. CP may be delivered on stand-alone or Internet-linked computers, palmtop computers, phone-interactive voice response, DVDs, and cell phones. The authors performed a meta-analysis of 23 randomised controlled studies (RCTs) that compared CP with non-CP in anxiety disorders: phobias, n = 10; panic disorder/agoraphobia, n = 9; PTSD, n = 3; obsessive-compulsive disorder, n = 1. Overall mean effect size of CP compared with non-CP was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-1.32). CP and face-to-face psychotherapy did not differ significantly from each other (13 comparisons, d = -0.06). Much caution is needed when interpreting the findings indicating that outcome was unrelated to type of disorder, type of comparison group, mode of CP delivery (Internet, stand-alone PC, palmtop), and recency of the CP system and that effect size decreased when more therapist time was replaced by the computer. Because CP as a whole was as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, certain forms of CP deserve to be integrated into routine practice.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	66-82
Number of pages	17
Journal	Cognitive behaviour therapy
Volume	38
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070802694776
Publication status	Published - 2009

Keywords

Anxiety Disorders
Humans
Psychotherapy
Therapy, Computer-Assisted

Access to Document

10.1080/16506070802694776

Cite this

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title = "Computer-aided psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: a meta-analytic review",

abstract = "Computer-aided psychotherapy (CP) is said to (1) be as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, while requiring less therapist time, for anxiety disorder sufferers, (2) speed access to care, and (3) save traveling time. CP may be delivered on stand-alone or Internet-linked computers, palmtop computers, phone-interactive voice response, DVDs, and cell phones. The authors performed a meta-analysis of 23 randomised controlled studies (RCTs) that compared CP with non-CP in anxiety disorders: phobias, n = 10; panic disorder/agoraphobia, n = 9; PTSD, n = 3; obsessive-compulsive disorder, n = 1. Overall mean effect size of CP compared with non-CP was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-1.32). CP and face-to-face psychotherapy did not differ significantly from each other (13 comparisons, d = -0.06). Much caution is needed when interpreting the findings indicating that outcome was unrelated to type of disorder, type of comparison group, mode of CP delivery (Internet, stand-alone PC, palmtop), and recency of the CP system and that effect size decreased when more therapist time was replaced by the computer. Because CP as a whole was as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, certain forms of CP deserve to be integrated into routine practice.",

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AU - Andersson, Gerhard

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