Review: The effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents with depression – a systematic review and meta‐analysis

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.