The relative efficacy of bona fide psychotherapies for post-traumatic stress disorder: a meta-analytical evaluation of randomized controlled trials

Table 8 Meta-analyses of the efficacy of different types of treatment at follow-up regarding primary and secondary outcomes

Treatments	k	Hedges’ g	p	Q	p	I ²
First follow-up
Cognitive behavior therapy (all)	14	0.01 [−0.17, 0.20]	.906	24.64	.026	49 % (5–71 %)
		−0.02 [−0.16, 0.12]	.739	20.95	.074	28 % (0–66 %)
Trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy with exposure (subgroup)	9	0.13 [0.00, 0.26]	.053	14.88	.062	0 % (0–93 %)
		0.07 [−0.12, 0.25]	.483	14.67	.066	40 % (40–93 %)
Exposure	7	−0.04 [−0.25, 0.17]	.705	2.88	.824	0 % (0–40 %)
		−0.06 [−0.25, 0.13]	.506	5.96	.428	0 % (0–71 %)
Prolonged exposure	7	0.10 [−0.14, 0.34]	.406	9.43	.151	39 % (0–70 %)
		0.18 [−0.12, 0.47]	.240	14.06	.029	62 % (7–80 %)
Exposure + prolonged exposure	14	0.04 [−0.11, 0.20]	.575	13.67	.398	20 % (0–57 %)
		0.06 [−0.11, 0.22]	.515	21.89	.057	39 % (0–67 %)
EMDR	5	−0.02 [−0.62, 0.57]	.940	13.32	.010	72 % (28–87 %)
		−0.05 [−0.66, 0.56]	.874	13.65	.009	73 % (17–84 %)
Present-centered therapies	6	−0.17 [−0.30, −0.04]	.010	3.71	.592	0 % (0–67 %)
		−0.05 [−0.18, 0.09]	.477	7.26	.202	13 % (0–67 %)
TF vs. NTF	9	0.17 [0.05, 0.28]	.006	4.05	.852	0 % (0–67 %)
		0.05 [−0.07, 0.18]	.401	11.70	.165	18 % (18–94 %)
Second follow-up
Cognitive behavior therapy (all)	8	0.02 [−0.40, 0.44]	.926	25.14	.001	80 % (44–86 %)
		−0.06 [−0.37, 0.24]	.680	23.12	.002	72 % (39–85 %)
Trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy with exposure (subgroup)	5	0.30 [−0.03, 0.63]	.076	7.95	.093	52 % (52–96 %)
		0.16 [−0.11, 0.43]	.234	8.69	.070	52 % (52–94 %)
TF vs. NTF	6	0.23 [0.01, 0.46]	.045	8.20	.146	28 % (28–95 %)
		0.05 [−0.08, 0.18]	.466	5.35	.374	0 % (0–92 %)

Note. k = number of comparisons; Q = statistic of effect size heterogeneity. Values of Hedges’ g and I ² are presented alongside their 95 % confidence intervals. Hedges’ g > 0 signifies a higher efficacy for the type of treatment of interest compared to all other available treatments, Hedges’ g < 0 signifies a lower efficacy. Per type of treatment, values in the first line pertain to primary outcomes (i.e., PTSD symptom severity), values in the second line to secondary outcomes (i.e., symptom severity of comorbid disorders, trauma-related symptoms, general symptom distress, social functioning, and quality of life)

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