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Meta-Analysis
. 2006 Jan;132(1):132-49.
doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.1.132.

Effects of psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

John R Weisz  1 , Carolyn A McCarty, Sylvia M Valeri
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

John R Weisz et al. Psychol Bull. 2006 Jan.

Abstract

Serious sequelae of youth depression, plus recent concerns over medication safety, prompt growing interest in the effects of youth psychotherapy. In previous meta-analyses, effect sizes (ESs) have averaged .99, well above conventional standards for a large effect and well above mean ES for other conditions. The authors applied rigorous analytic methods to the largest study sample to date and found a mean ES of .34, not superior but significantly inferior to mean ES for other conditions. Cognitive treatments (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) fared no better than noncognitive approaches. Effects showed both generality (anxiety was reduced) and specificity (externalizing problems were not), plus short- but not long-term holding power. Youth depression treatments appear to produce effects that are significant but modest in their strength, breadth, and durability.

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