SynthesisJournal of consulting and clinical psychology2022
Do financial incentives increase mental health treatment engagement? A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for adults with substance use disorder that have a co-occurring mental health disorder: an umbrella review and illustrative cost-effectiveness analysis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2026Pooled it
- App-Based Interventions for Moderate to Severe Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of approaches to improve medication adherence in homeless adults with psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of the FOCUS ADHD App in monitoring adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Trial
- Strategizing AI utilization for psychological literature screening: A comparative analysis of machine learning algorithms and key factors to consider.Research synthesis methods · 2026Article
- Enhancing Text Message Support With Media Literacy and Financial Incentives for Vaping Cessation in Young Adults: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Adherence to buprenorphine-XR through hybrid telehealth contingency management procedures: a case series.Journal of substance use · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveEngagement in mental health treatment is low, which can lead to poor outcomes. We evaluated the efficacy of offering patients financial incentives to increase their mental health treatment engagement, also referred to as contingency management.
methodWe meta-analyzed studies offering financial incentives for mental health treatment engagement, including increasing treatment attendance, medication adherence, and treatment goal completion. Analyses were run within a multilevel framework. All study designs were included, and sensitivity analyses were run including only randomized and high-quality studies.
resultsAbout 80% of interventions incentivized treatment for substance use disorders. Financial incentives significantly increased treatment attendance (Hedges' g = 0.49, [0.33, 0.64], k = 30, I2 = 83.14), medication adherence (Hedges' g = 0.95, [0.47, 1.44], k = 6, I2 = 87.73), and treatment goal completion (Hedges' g = 0.61, [0.22, 0.99], k = 5, I2 = 60.55), including completing homework, signing treatment plans, and reducing problematic behavior.
conclusionsFinancial incentives increase treatment engagement with medium to large effect sizes. We provide strong evidence for their effectiveness in increasing substance use treatment engagement and preliminary evidence for their effectiveness in increasing treatment engagement for other mental health disorders. Future research should prioritize testing the efficacy of incentivizing treatment engagement for mental health disorders aside from substance use. Research must also identify ways to incentivize treatment engagement that improve functioning and long-term outcomes and address ethical and systemic barriers to implementing these interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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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.