A systematic review and meta-analysis on controlled treatment trials of metacognitive therapy for anxiety disorders

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on controlled treatment trials of meta-cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders. Studies were included if they employed controlled methodology and treated people above 18 years with anxiety disorders. Case studies (with less than 4 cases) and single case designed studies were excluded. A comprehensive literature search identified 15 trials for systematic review. All included studies showed better treatment results in the MCT arms compared to the control groups. We also statistically pooled the results across studies (when possible). The meta-analyses also showed that MCT had statistically significant better results compared to the control groups in GAD (both immediately post-treatment and 12 months post-therapy results), OCD, and PTSD (p-values ranged <0.0001-0.025). Based on the results of our systematic review,MCT seems to be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders and can effectively control their psychological problems.