Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25274315›Full record

SynthesisThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science2014

Psychotherapy for subclinical depression: meta-analysis.

Pim Cuijpers, Sander L Koole, Annemiek van Dijke, Miquel Roca, Juan Li, Charles F Reynolds

Registry-linked trialOpen access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05936697 (Neurofeedback Training to Improve Prefrontal Functioning in Older Adults With Subclinical Depression and Anxiety), which is not on this map. Cited by 90 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
11.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05936697 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Neurofeedback Training to Improve Prefrontal Functioning in Older Adults With Subclinical Depression and Anxiety: a Randomised Control Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityRan2023 to 2024Enrolled90ConditionsDepression, AnxietyArmsfNIRS, EEG, Baseline Training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

90 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 191 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Does outcome expectancy predict outcomes in online depression prevention? Secondary analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024
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30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Pim CuijpersPim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Sander L KoolePim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Annemiek van DijkePim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Miquel RocaPim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Juan LiPim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Charles F ReynoldsPim Cuijpers, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Leuphana University, Lünebrug, Germany; Sander L. Koole, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University and VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Annemiek van Dijke, PhD, Delta Psychiatrisch Centrum, Poortugaal, The Netherlands; Miquel Roca, MD, PhD, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS). Hospital Juan March, Rediapp, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Juan Li, PhD, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc · NLGGz centraal · NLInstitute of Physics · CNRoyal College of Psychiatrists · GBServei de Salut de les Illes Balears · ES

Funding

University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR000005 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI REIS, STEVEN E · 2012 to 2015
$50.8M
RESEARCH METHODS COREP30MH090333 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI REYNOLDS, CHARLES F. · 2011 to 2015
$8.3M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000005NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH090333NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH90333
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is controversy about whether psychotherapies are effective in the treatment of subclinical depression, defined by clinically relevant depressive symptoms in the absence of a major depressive disorder.

aimsTo examine whether psychotherapies are effective in reducing depressive symptoms, reduce the risk of developing major depressive disorder and have comparable effects to psychological treatment of major depression.

methodWe conducted a meta-analysis of 18 studies comparing a psychological treatment of subclinical depression with a control group.

resultsThe target groups, therapies and characteristics of the included studies differed considerably from each other, and the quality of many studies was not optimal. Psychotherapies did have a small to moderate effect on depressive symptoms against care as usual at the post-test assessment (g = 0.35, 95% CI 0.23-0.47; NNT = 5, 95% CI 4-8) and significantly reduced the incidence of major depressive episodes at 6 months (RR = 0.61) and possibly at 12 months (RR = 0.74). The effects were significantly smaller than those of psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and could be accounted for by non-specific effects of treatment.

conclusionsPsychotherapy may be effective in the treatment of subclinical depression and reduce the incidence of major depression, but more high-quality research is needed.

Indexed as

PsychotherapyDepressive DisorderHumansMajor Depressive DisorderTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID25274315
PMCPMC4180844
OpenAlexW2104231578

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.