Premium
Review: The effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents with depression – a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Duffy Fiona,
Sharpe Helen,
Schwannauer Matthias
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
child and adolescent mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1475-3588
pISSN - 1475-357X
DOI - 10.1111/camh.12342
Subject(s) - interpersonal psychotherapy , meta analysis , psychological intervention , depression (economics) , randomized controlled trial , interpersonal communication , clinical psychology , psychology , intervention (counseling) , psychotherapist , systematic review , psychiatry , medline , medicine , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics , political science , law
Background Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT‐A) is a manualised, time‐limited intervention for young people with depression. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of IPT‐A for treating adolescent depression. Method A systematic search of relevant electronic databases and study reference lists was conducted. Any study investigating the effectiveness of IPT‐A in 12‐ to 20‐year‐olds with a depressive disorder was eligible. Synthesis was via narrative summary and meta‐analysis. Results Twenty studies were identified (10 randomised trials and 10 open trials/case studies), many of which had small sample sizes and were of varying quality. Following IPT‐A, participants experienced large improvements in depression symptoms ( d = −1.48, p < .0001, k = 17), interpersonal difficulties with a medium effect ( d = −0.68, p < .001, k = 8) and in general functioning with a very large effect ( d = 2.85, p < .001, k = 8). When compared against control interventions, IPT‐A was more effective than non‐CBT active controls in reducing depression symptoms ( d = −0.64, p < .001, k = 5) and was no different from CBT ( d = 0.05, p = .88, k = 2). There was no difference between IPT‐A and active control interventions in reducing interpersonal difficulties ( d = −0.26, p = .25, k = 5). Conclusions Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents is an effective intervention for adolescent depression, improving a range of relevant outcomes. IPT‐A is consistently superior to less structured interventions and performs similarly to CBT. However, these conclusions are cautious, as they are based on a small number of controlled studies, with minor adaptations to the standard IPT‐A protocol, and/or were conducted by the intervention developers. Further robust RCTs are therefore required. The lack of superiority in IPT‐A for improving interpersonal difficulties highlights a need for studies to explore the underpinning mechanisms of change.