SynthesisBMC psychiatry2025
Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on negative emotions, automatic thoughts and psychological flexibility for depression and its acceptability: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effect of a group-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on cognitive emotion regulation and psychological flexibility in patients with bipolar disorder.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2026Trial
- Effects of Community-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Quality of Life and Mental Health Outcomes for Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot RCT in China.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Automatic thoughts mediate the relationship between social appearance anxiety and attitudes toward cosmetic surgery.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Basketball participation improves sleep quality through psychological flexibility in adolescents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Existential distress and social alienation in adolescents with allergic rhinitis: the serial mediating roles of psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The Self-Identification Program (SIP): A Clinically Implemented Third-Wave CBT Deepening Dysfunctional Self-Identification in Mood Disorders.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAcceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) has been widely used in patients with depression. However, its effectiveness in improving psychological flexibility and reducing automatic thoughts remains uncertain. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effects of ACT on depression, anxiety, automatic thought, and psychological flexibility in patients with depression, as well as its acceptability.
methodsRCTs were systematically searched in nine databases and gray literature, with the last update on March 25, 2025. Effect sizes were synthesized using a random-effects model, and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential heterogeneity. Publication bias was corrected using three methods: PET-PEESE, selection models, and robust Bayesian meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach.
resultsA total of 13 RCTs from 1362 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that ACT significantly improved depression [SMD = - 0.66 (- 0.80, - 0.52), P <.001, I
conclusionAccording to the GRADE assessment, the certainty of the evidence ranges from very low to moderate. ACT appears to significantly improve depressive symptoms, anxiety, and psychological flexibility in individuals with depression. However, its effects on automatic thoughts and its acceptability still require further investigation. META-ANALYSIS REGISTRATION ON PROSPERO: CRD42024533794.
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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.