Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30016999›Full record

SynthesisBMC psychology2018

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for schizophrenia - outcomes for functioning, distress and quality of life: a meta-analysis.

Keith R Laws, Nicole Darlington, Tejinder K Kondel, Peter J McKenna, Sameer Jauhar

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC psychology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Cognitive behavioural therapy without medication for schizophrenia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
    Pooled it
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  7. Cognitive behavioural therapy (group) for schizophrenia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022
    Pooled it
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  12. Trial
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  14. Enhancement of aerobic fitness improves social functioning in individuals with schizophrenia.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2021
    Trial
  15. Review
  16. Article
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  19. Cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis: a cost-effectiveness study using the EPiSODe model.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025
    Article
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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

5 authors.

Keith R LawsSchool of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK. K.laws@herts.ac.uk.
Nicole DarlingtonSchool of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK.
Tejinder K KondelEast London Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Peter J McKennaFIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona and CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain.
Sameer JauharCentre of Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe effect of cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) on the core symptoms of schizophrenia has proven contentious, with current meta-analyses finding at most only small effects. However, it has been suggested that the effects of CBTp in areas other than psychotic symptoms are at least as important and potentially benefit from the intervention.

methodWe meta-analysed RCTs investigating the effectiveness of CBTp for functioning, distress and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders. Data from 36 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria- 27 assessing functioning (1579 participants); 8 for distress (465 participants); and 10 for quality of life (592 participants).

resultsThe pooled effect size for functioning was small but significant for the end-of-trial (0.25: 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.33); however, this became non-significant at follow-up (0.10 [95%CI -0.07 to 0.26]). Although a small benefit of CBT was evident for reducing distress (0.37: 95%CI 0.05 to 0.69), this became nonsignificant when adjusted for possible publication bias (0.18: 95%CI -0.12 to 0.48). Finally, CBTp showed no benefit for improving quality of life (0.04: 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.19).

conclusionsCBTp has a small therapeutic effect on functioning at end-of-trial, although this benefit is not evident at follow-up. Although CBTp produced a small benefit on distress, this was subject to possible publication bias and became nonsignificant when adjusted. We found no evidence that CBTp increases quality of life post-intervention.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyHumansQuality of LifeSchizophreniaSchizophrenic PsychologyTreatment OutcomeCBTCBTpCognitive behavioural therapyDistressFunctioningMeta-analysisPsychosisQuality of lifeSchizophreniaSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID30016999
PMCPMC6050679

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.