SynthesisPloS one2021
Trauma-focused treatments for depression. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- EMDR as Treatment Option for Conditions Other Than PTSD: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- S-adenosylmethionine as an epigenetic treatment of depression in adults with childhood trauma.Epigenomics · 2026Trial
- Adverse life experiences and psychopathology trajectories in routine Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Observational
- The METOD study: exploring metabolism, emotional blunting and treatment outcomes in depression - A naturalistic, two-phase observational protocol.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Are specific PTSD criteria associated with treatment outcome in traumatized veterans and police officers?European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- Predictors and process moderators of EMDR therapy for depressive symptoms: protocol for a series of observational N-of-1 trials.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The Efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Treatment for Depression: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Article
- Persistence and clinical consequences of post-traumatic and dissociative symptoms in people with depressive symptoms: a one-year follow-up study.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Article
- Treating COVID-19 patients with EMDR: A pilot study.European journal of trauma & dissociation = Revue europeenne du trauma et de la dissociation · 2022Article
- Investigating the Efficacy and Experiences With Narrative Exposure Therapy in Severe Mentally Ill Patients With Comorbid Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Receiving Flexible Assertive Community Treatment: A Mixed Methods Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Investigating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD among people with self-reported depressive symptoms.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Traumatic memories are directly associated with depression and generalized anxiety symptoms, independent of posttraumatic stress symptoms.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTrauma-focused treatments (TFTs) have demonstrated efficacy at decreasing depressive symptoms in individuals with PTSD. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of TFTs for individuals with depression as their primary concern.
methodsA systematic search was conducted for RCTs published before October 2019 in Cochrane CENTRAL, Pubmed, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and additional sources. Trials examining the impact of TFTs on participants with depression were included. Trials focusing on individuals with PTSD or another mental health condition were excluded. The primary outcome was the effect size for depression diagnosis or depressive symptoms. Heterogeneity, study quality, and publication bias were also explored.
resultsEleven RCTs were included (n = 567) with ten of these using EMDR as the TFT and one using imagery rescripting. Analysis suggested these TFTs were effective in reducing depressive symptoms post-treatment with a large effect size [d = 1.17 (95% CI: 0.58~ 1.75)]. Removal of an outlier saw the effect size remain large [d = 0.83 (95% CI: 0.48~ 1.17)], while the heterogeneity decreased (I2 = 66%). Analysis of the 10 studies that used EMDR also showed a large effect [d = 1.30 (95% CI: 0.67~1.91)]. EMDR was superior to non trauma-focused CBT [d = 0.66 (95% CI: 0.31~1.02)] and analysis of EMDR and imagery rescripting studies suggest superiority over inactive control conditions [d = 1.19 (95% CI: 0.53~ 1.86)]. Analysis of follow-up data also supported the use of EMDR with this population [d = 0.71 (95% CI: 1.04~0.38)]. No publication bias was identified.
conclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that EMDR can be an effective treatment for depression. There were insufficient RCTs on other trauma-focused interventions to conclude whether TFTs in general were effective for treating depression. Larger studies with robust methodology using EMDR and other trauma-focused interventions are needed to build on these findings.
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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.