Papola GAD NMA
Network Meta-Analysis of Psychotherapies for GAD
Patient / Population Intervention / Exposure Comparison Outcome
Across 65 RCTs and 5,048 adults with GAD, CBT and third-wave therapies achieved better symptom reduction than treatment as usual, with no significant differences between bona-fide therapies.
N
5,048
Design
Network meta-analysis
Endpoint
Standardised mean difference in GAD severity
Relevance
2
ResultThird-wave CBT (SMD −0.76, 95% CI −1.15 to −0.36), CBT (SMD −0.74, −1.09 to −0.38), and relaxation (SMD −0.59, −1.07 to −0.11) superior to TAU; no significant head-to-head differences between therapies.
Papola D, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024;81(3):250-259. 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.3971
Discussion & critique
Reinforces a dodo-bird picture across active psychotherapies for GAD — choose by patient preference and access.