The Efficacy and Durability of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background:There is a dearth of meta-analytical studies measuring the durability of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate both the effectiveness and durability of MBCT in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.Methods:We systematically searched six databases from June 11, 2023 to September 16, 2023 for randomized control trials (RCTs) of adults diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision or the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems diagnostic criteria; the treatment group received the complete form of MBCT, whereas the control group received other interventions or treatment as usual; the treatment outcome focused on symptoms of depression or anxiety. Two independent reviewers included studies, assessed quality, and extracted data. The Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2.0 tool was applied to appraise the methodological quality of the included studies. R 4.2.1 software and the “metafor” package were used to estimate the effect sizes based on mean and standard deviation of anxiety and depressive disorders at baseline and postintervention, and at postintervention and follow-up periods for both the treatment and control groups.Result:A total of 1,470 studies were reviewed, and 21 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed an overall standardized mean difference of −0.4806 [CI: −0.7185; −0.2428] and −0.3817 [CI: −0.5407; −0.2228] for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively indicating the effectiveness of MBCT. Comparison between postintervention and follow-up or follow-up measurement showed a small and nonsignificant effect size for depression (0.0130 [CI: −0.2109; 0.2369]) and anxiety (0.0198 [CI: −0.0660; 0.1057]), suggesting that recovered symptoms in the treatment group were maintained until the follow-up evaluation.Conclusion:MBCT produces long-term treatment effects in the management of both depressive and anxiety disorders.Protocol preregistration:The current meta-analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and got registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023465494).