Editorial: We Can Do Better: Meta-analysis Demonstrates Inequities in Psychotherapy Efficacy for Black Children

Abstract

We read with great interest and admiration, "Meta-analysis: Are Psychotherapies Less Effective for Black Youth in Communities With Higher Levels of Anti-Black Racism?" in this issue of JAACAP.² Price et al. conduct a meta-analysis examining the association between anti-Black racism and mental health outcomes across 194 psychotherapy studies based on the racial composition of the study sample Majority-Black vs Majority-White sample. The authors demonstrated that the measured benefits of psychotherapeutic interventions were associated with the measured level of anti-Black racism among Majority-Black samples but not the Majority-White Samples. Higher levels of anti-racism were associated with less measured benefit of psychotherapy interventions among Majority-Black samples but not Majority-White samples. This finding is disturbing to us, but not surprising. We choose to highlight a few of the important findings from this impactful work.