Efficacy and moderators of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data

Combining action research theory with focus-solving short-term psychotherapy for psychological stress, adjustment, and rehabilitation in patients with postoperative acute myocardial infarction following percutaneous coronary intervention

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of combining action research theory with focus-solving short-term psychotherapy on the psychological stress, adjustment, and rehabilitation of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

Between January 2022 and January 2023, a prospective study was conducted involving 300 AMI patients at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Participants were divided into a control group and a study group, with 150 patients in each. The control group received standard treatment and rehabilitation guidance, while the study group also received interventions based on action research theory and focus-solving short-term psychotherapy. Outcomes measured included scores from the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Mental Health Inventory (MHI), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Essential Skills for Caregivers Assessment (ESCA), and patient satisfaction. Prognostic factors were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Post-intervention, the study group demonstrated significantly lower scores in HAMA and HAMD and reported less psychological pain, alongside higher scores in psychological well-being, compared to the control group (all P < 0.05). Additionally, the study group showed improved neurological function (NIHSS scores) and motor skills (FMA scores) as well as enhanced self-care abilities (higher ESCA scores) (all P < 0.05). Patient satisfaction was also notably higher in the study group (P < 0.05). Key prognostic factors included history of diabetes, Killip classification, and door-to-balloon (DTB) time.

CONCLUSION

The integration of action research theory with focus-solving short-term psychotherapy significantly alleviated anxiety and depression in AMI patients post-PCI, enhanced their psychological adjustment, and facilitated the recovery of neurological and motor functions. This approach also improved self-care capabilities. Effective management of underlying conditions, vigilant monitoring of Killip classification, and minimization of DTB time are critical to reducing major adverse cardiac events and improving patient outcomes.

The equivalence of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for depressive disorders in adults: A meta-analytic review

BACKGROUND

Meta-analyses on the relative efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy (PDT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depressive disorders are limited by heterogeneity in diagnostic samples and comparators and a lack of equivalence testing.

OBJECTIVE

We addressed this through a meta-analytic test of the equivalence of manualized PDT and CBT in treating adults with depressive disorders as determined by diagnostic interviews. Sensitivity analyses evaluated the impact of pretreatment differences, mixed diagnostic samples, author allegiance, study quality, year of publication and outliers on findings.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search across multiple databases using reliable screening methods identified nine randomized controlled trials directly comparing manualized PDT and CBT for diagnosed depressive disorders in adults. Following pre-registration, we employed random effect models for our meta-analyses and two one-sided test procedures for equivalence testing.

RESULTS

Independent raters determined that all studies were of adequate quality. Immediately posttreatment, depressive symptoms were statistically equivalent across PDT and CBT (k = 9; g = -0.11, 90% confidence interval [90% CI]: -0.24 to 0.02, pequivalence = .048, pNHST = .212, I2 = 32.7). At follow-up, the longest time point within a year, depressive symptoms were neither statistically equivalent nor statistically different (k = 6; g = -0.16, 90% CI: -0.31 to -0.02, pequivalence = .184, pNHST = .126, I2 = 0.00).

CONCLUSION

The efficacy of manualized PDT is equal to manualized CBT immediately at posttreatment for depressive disorders in the adult general population. Nevertheless, insufficient data exists to reach a conclusion regarding equivalence at follow-up.

Psychological interventions for depression in children and adolescents: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Depression has gradually become a common psychological disorder among children and adolescents. Depression in children and adolescents affects their physical and mental development. Psychotherapy is considered to be one of the main treatment options for depressed children and adolescents. However, our understanding of the global performance and progress of psychological interventions for depression in children and adolescents (PIDCA) research is limited.

AIM

To identify collaborative research networks in this field and explore the current research status and hotspots through bibliometrics.

METHODS

Articles and reviews related to PIDCA from January 2010 to April 2023 were identified from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The Charticulator website, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to visualize the trends in publications and citations, the collaborative research networks (countries, institutions, and authors), and the current research status and hotspots.

RESULTS

Until April 16, 2023, 1482 publications were identified. The number of documents published each year and citations had increased rapidly in this field. The United States had the highest productivity in this field. The most prolific institution was the University of London. Pim Cuijpers was the most prolific author. In the context of research related to PIDCA, both reference co-citation analysis and keywords co-occurrence analysis identified 10 research hotspots, including third-wave cognitive behavior therapy, short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy, family element in psychotherapy, modular treatment, mobile-health, emotion-regulation-based transdiagnostic intervention program, dementia risk in later life, predictors of the efficacy of psychological intervention, and risks of psychological intervention.

CONCLUSION

This bibliometric study provides a comprehensive overview of PIDCA from 2010 to present. Psychological intervention characterized as psychological-process-focused, short, family-involved, modular, internet-based, emotion-regulation-based, and personalized may benefit more young people.