Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Author ORCID Identifier

Korena S. Klimczak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2173-6431

Guadalupe G. San Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2875-4010

Miriam N. Mukasa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8928-5289

Michael P. Twohig https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2936-5962

Michael E. Levin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5562-2366

Publisher

Routledge

Publication Date

2-27-2023

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Abstract

Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions use websites and smartphone apps to deliver ACT exercises and skills. The present meta-analysis provides a comprehensive review of online ACT self-help interventions, characterizing the programs that have been studied (e.g. platform, length, content) and analyzing their efficacy. A transdiagnostic approach was taken, including studies that addressed a range of targeted problems and populations. Multi-level meta-analyses were used to nest multiple measures of a single construct within their respective studies. A total of 53 randomized controlled trials were included (n = 10,730). Online ACT produced significantly greater outcomes than waitlist controls at post-treatment for anxiety, depression, quality of life, psychological flexibility, and all assessed outcomes (i.e. omnibus effect), which were generally maintained at follow-up. However, only psychological flexibility and all assessed outcomes at post-treatment were found to be significantly greater for online ACT when compared to active controls, with no significant follow-up effects. Overall, these results further clarify that ACT can be effectively delivered in an online format to target a wide range of mental health concerns, although it is less clear if and when online ACT is more efficacious than other online interventions.

Included in

Psychology Commons

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