Therapy review finds lower depression scores, with low certainty
Acceptance and commitment therapy showed improvements in pooled trials, but confidence differed across the measured outcomes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Acceptance and commitment therapy led to lower depressive symptom scores in the pooled trials, but the authors rated this evidence as low certainty. Anxiety symptoms and psychological flexibility also improved, with different certainty ratings. The abstract does not establish how long improvements lasted or which treatment format works best for a particular person.
This abstract-based explanation lacks details about controls and follow-up. Depression evidence was rated low certainty, and the authors call for larger, more rigorous trials across multiple centers.
What researchers found
Standardized mean difference in depressive symptoms
Therapy versus unspecified controls; timing not reported in the abstract. Negative means fewer symptoms. The 95% confidence interval, −1.06 to −0.32, gives a range of effects compatible with the data. Evidence certainty: low.
Confidence depends on the outcome
The authors rated evidence for anxiety as moderate certainty and for psychological flexibility as high certainty. These judgments concern separate outcomes; greater confidence in flexibility does not strengthen the depression evidence.
Delivery format remains uncertain
The authors describe a favorable subgroup pattern for group therapy. However, the abstract gives insufficient comparative detail to establish that group sessions outperform individual sessions. A significant result against controls alone cannot settle that comparison.
The original publication
The efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Kong Q, Yan S, Huang K et al.
Psychiatry Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40885141
- Record checked
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