Efficacy/Effectiveness
Compared with control groups, the effect (SMD) at completion of treatment was −0.30 (95% CI, −0.48 to −0.13) for face-to-face CBT, −0.14 (−0.40 to 0.12) for face-to-face problem-solving therapy, −0.24 (−0.47 to −0.02) for face-to-face interpersonal psychotherapy, −0.28 (−0.44 to −0.12) for other face-to-face psychological interventions, −0.43 (−0.62 to −0.24) for remote therapist-led CBT, −0.56 (−1.57 to 0.45) for remote therapist-led problem-solving therapy, −0.40 (−0.69 to −0.11) for guided self-help CBT, and −0.27 (−0.44 to −0.10) for no or minimal contact CBT (Figure 1). The differences between the effects of the different psychological interventions were not statistically significant (P = .74). Findings were largely similar when response and remission (and the resulting numbers needed to treat) are used as outcomes instead of posttreatment depression scores (Table 2), but because of the lower proportion of patients achieving remission, 95% confidence intervals are wide for this outcome, and differences compared with control are statistically significant only for 2 treatment modes (other face-to-face psychological interventions and guided self-help CBT).