Robinson, L., Delgadillo, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-5349-230X and Kellett, S. (2019) The dose-response effect in routinely delivered psychological therapies: A systematic review. Psychotherapy Research, 30 (1). pp. 76-96. ISSN 1050-3307
Abstract
The dose-response effect refers to the relationship between the dose (e.g., length, frequency) of treatment and the subsequent probability of improvement. This systematic review aimed to synthesise the literature on the dose-response effect in routine psychological therapies delivered to adult patients with mental health problems. Twenty-six studies were eligible for inclusion. Different methodological approaches have been used to examine the dose-response effect; including survival analysis, multilevel modelling and descriptive cluster analyses. Replicated and consistent support was found for a curvilinear (log-linear or cubic) relationship between treatment length and outcomes, with few exceptions such as eating disorders and severe psychiatric populations. Optimal doses of psychotherapy in routine settings range between 4 – 26 sessions (4 – 6 for low intensity guided self-help) and vary according to setting, clinical population and outcome measures. Weekly therapy appears to accelerate the rate of improvement compared to less frequent schedules. Most of the reviewed evidence is from university counselling centres and outpatient psychotherapy clinics for common mental health problems. There is scarce and inconclusive evidence in clinical samples with chronic and severe mental disorders.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Society for Psychotherapy Research. This is an author-produced version of a paper accepted for publication in Psychotherapy Research. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Dose-response; psychotherapy; outcomes research; systematic review |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 14 Jan 2019 14:48 |
Last Modified: | 24 Nov 2021 14:48 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/10503307.2019.1566676 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:140398 |