Premium
50 years of rational‐emotive and cognitive‐behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
David Daniel,
Cotet Carmen,
Matu Silviu,
Mogoase Cristina,
Stefan Simona
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22514
Subject(s) - psychology , rational emotive behavior therapy , psychotherapist , irrational number , meta analysis , cognition , clinical psychology , psychological intervention , cognitive therapy , behaviour therapy , emotive , intervention (counseling) , cognitive restructuring , psychiatry , medicine , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , epistemology
Objective Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), introduced by Albert Ellis in the late 1950s, is one of the main pillars of cognitive‐behavioral therapy. Existing reviews on REBT are overdue by 10 years or more. We aimed to summarize the effectiveness and efficacy of REBT since its beginnings and investigate the alleged mechanisms of change. Method Systematic search identified 84 articles, out of which 68 provided data for between‐group analyses and 39 for within‐group analyses. Results We found a medium effect size of REBT compared to other interventions on outcomes ( d = 0.58) and on irrational beliefs ( d = 0.70), at posttest. For the within‐group analyses, we obtained medium effects for both outcomes ( d = 0.56) and irrational beliefs ( d = 0.61). Several significant moderators emerged. Conclusion REBT is a sound psychological intervention. Directions for future studies are outlined, stemming from the limitations of existing ones.