Internet psychotherapeutic interventions for anxiety disorders - a critical evaluation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, internet-delivered psychotherapeutic interventions (IPI) move increasingly into the focus of attention.

Method

We reviewed 39 randomized controlled studies of IPIs with 97 study arms (n = 4122 patients) for anxiety disorders (panic disorder/agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder) and performed a meta-analysis. Most studies were conducted with cognitive behavioural approaches (iCBT). Results were compared with a previous meta-analysis examining medications and face-to-face (F2F) psychotherapy.

Results

In direct comparisons, IPIs were as effective as F2F-CBT and superior to waitlist controls. Programs with more intensive therapist contact yielded higher effect sizes (ES). We compared the obtained E

SUBMITTER: Bandelow B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9241282 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature