Internet-Delivered Versus Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Summary & key facts

This review pooled data from trials that directly compared therapist-guided internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) with face-to-face CBT for anxiety disorders. Eight randomized studies were included, and the combined result showed a near-zero difference between the two formats (Hedges' g = 0.01, 95% CI −0.16 to 0.18). The authors concluded that ICBT and face-to-face CBT produced equivalent overall effects for the anxiety problems studied, but they also said more research is needed to confirm this across disorders and to understand how ICBT works.

Key facts:

• The review included 8 randomized controlled trials out of 236 articles screened.
• Across those trials there were 348 participants in ICBT groups and 316 participants in face-to-face CBT groups.
• The pooled effect size after treatment was Hedges' g = 0.01 with a 95% confidence interval from −0.16 to 0.18.
• The included studies targeted five anxiety problems: social anxiety disorder, adolescent anxiety, panic disorder, spider phobia, and fear of public speaking.
• The trials were carried out in Australia, Spain, and Sweden.
• The authors noted limitations: only 8 direct-comparison trials were available, the studies covered a limited set of anxiety disorders, and more research is needed to establish general equivalence and to identify what makes ICBT effective.
• The paper reports that in adults ICBT can require about 85% less therapist time per week than face-to-face CBT, as described in the background literature cited by the authors.

Abstract

Over the last 20 years, internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) has been tested in a large number of randomized controlled trials, often with positive results. However, it is not widely known about the efficacy of ICBT as compared to ...

Topics

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Categories

Applied Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Clinical psychology Cognition Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behaviour therapy Cognitive therapy Epistemology Face-to-face Generalized anxiety disorder Internal medicine Medicine Meta-analysis Panic Panic disorder Philosophy Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapist Randomized controlled trial Social anxiety Specific phobia