Depression: Self-Guided Interventions vs. Control

Lingyao Tong , Olga-Maria Panagiotopoulou , Clara Miguel , Pim Cuijpers , Eirini Karyotaki

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General Description

The depression-selfguided-psyctr dataset is a meta-analytic research domain (MARD) on self-guided interventions for adults with depressive symptoms. This MARD is part of the Metapsy project. The dataset contains study information and effect size data of randomized controlled trials that report the effect of psychotherapy on depressive symptoms, quality of life, patients' treatment satisfaction, and well-being. The date of the last search update is provided here. This dataset includes psychotherapy vs. control (‘psy vs ctr’) comparisons. Effect sizes are provided for outcomes at post-tests and follow-ups. The results of a meta-analysis using this database can be read in this published article.

We define self-guided interventions as therapeutic approaches that individuals engage in independently, without the direct involvement or guidance of a therapist. These interventions rely on the person’s initiative and self-direction, often utilizing resources such as self-help books, online programs, or mobile apps to facilitate the therapeutic process. For this database, included interventions should target depressive symptoms and can provide the necessary support to monitor the intervention process or improve participant adherence (i.e., technical support, automated or human encouragement, and support on demand); however, no support related to the therapeutic content was permitted.

The dataset follows the Metapsy data standard. All included information has been independently extracted two researchers. Risk of bias ratings were conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool (Version 2).


Affiliated Institutions

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam


Online Meta-Analysis Tool

A simplified version of this database can be analyzed at metapsy.org/database/depression-selfguided.


Metadata

  • metapsyData Shorthand: depression-selfguided-psyctr
  • Number of Studies: 92
  • Latest Version: 24.0.3
  • Last updated: July 11, 2024
  • Last search: January 1, 2024
  • Search String (Latest Version): ↗
  • Data Repository (Latest Version): ↗
  • Preregistration (Research Domain): ↗
  • License: ODC-By v1.0 ↗
  • Database DOI:

  • Version 24.0.3 (July 11, 2024):
  • Version 24.0.2 (July 10, 2024):

Variable Description

VariableDescription
studyAuthor and year of publication.
condition_arm1Type of intervention (cbt= cognitive behaviour therapy, bat= behavioural activation, pst= problem solving therapy, ipt= interpersonal psychotherapy, dyn= psychodynamic therapy, lrt= life review therapy, 3rd=third-wave therapy, other psy= other type of psychotherapy).
condition_arm2Type of comparator (cau= care as usual, wl= waitlist, other ctr= other type of inactive control group such as psychoeducation).
descr_arm1Detailed description of the arm 1.
descr_arm2Detailed description of the arm 2.
multi_arm1In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the first arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of CBT interventions, face-to-face and Internet-based, this variable would be set to f2f and Internet, respectively.
multi_arm2In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the second arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of control groups, waitlist and care-as-usual, this variable would be set to wl and cau, respectively. 
primary_calcWhen a study reports more than one outcome calculation type (e.g. msd + dich) select one type we can select one type per study by filtering primary_calc = 1. Priority rule: 1) msd, 2) dich, 3) change.
outcome_typeThis variable encodes the type of outcome that builds the basis of the comparison, e.g. means and standard deviations (msd), change from baseline, response, remission, other statistics, etc.
outcomeThis variable describes which outcome was assessed.
timeTime of assessment (baseline, post, FU1, FU2, … FU8). Follow-ups are extracted as long as they are measured post the interventions.
time_weeksTime in weeks since randomization.
instrumentThis variable describes the instrument through which the relevant outcome was measured.
ratingThis variable encodes if the measured outcome was self-reported ("self-report") or clinician-rated ("clinician").
mean_arm1Mean arm 1.
mean_arm2Mean arm 2.
sd_arm1Standard deviation arm 1.
sd_arm2Standard deviation arm 2.
n_arm1Number of participants arm 1.
n_arm2Number of participants arm 2.
bl_m_arm1Baseline mean arm 1.
bl_m_arm2Baseline mean arm 2.
bl_sd_arm1Baseline standard deviation arm 1.
bl_sd_arm2Baseline standard deviation arm 2.
bl_n_arm1Number of participants at baseline arm 1.
bl_n_arm2Number of participants at baseline arm 2.
dichExact definition of the dichotomous outcome as provided in the publication: e.g."remission based on bdi-II<=8 and ham-d<=7".
dich_typeBroader categories of dichotomous outcomes: remission, response, etc.
event_arm1Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm
event_arm2Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm
totaln_arm1Total number of participants arm 1 (event data)
totaln_arm2Total number of participants arm 1 (event data)
changeSpecifies the name of the instrument where we extracted the changes score.
mean_change_arm1Mean change from baseline arm 1.
mean_change_arm2Mean change from baseline arm 2.
sd_change_arm1Standard deviation for the change from baseline arm 1
sd_change_arm2Standard deviation for the change from baseline arm 2
n_change_arm1Number of participants arm 1 (change scores).
n_change_arm2Number of participants arm 2 (change scores).
other_statisticWe extracted other statistics when 1) msd (m, sd, n), 2) Dich, or 3) Change are not available. other reported statistics (e.g. t= 1.27, p= 0.003 between-groups difference at post-test).
precalc_gThe pre-calculated value of Hedges' g (small-sample bias corrected standardized mean difference; Hedges, 1981).
precalc_seStandard error of g.
rand_arm1Randomized number of participants arm 1.
rand_arm2Randomized number of participants arm 2.
n_drop_study1Number of participants who dropped out in the intervention group (drop-out = not completing questionnaires).
n_drop_study2Number of participants who dropped out in the control group (drop-out = not completing questionnaires).
n_drop_treat1Number of participants who dropped out from the treatment.
n_drop_treat2Number of participants who dropped out from the control.
def_drop_treatDefine meanings of dropout of treatment.
yearYear of publication.
comorbid_mentalAll the participants are recruited based on meeting criteria for a comorbid mental health disorder (e.g. anxiety and depression). Coded as y= yes, n= no
comorbid_physcialAll the participants are recruited based on meeting criteria for a comorbid physical or medical disorder (e.g. HIV). Coded as y= yes, n= no
format_unguidedDelivery format (internet=web-based online program;mobile=mobile-based; computer=computer programs which were usually offline such as delivered by a CD-ROM; book= self-help manuals, books, or booklet; audio=audio-based; viedo=viedo-based; other=other or mixed forms of delivery).
commercialThis variable describes whether the interventions were commercially available by the time the study was conducted. This information was obtained from online searches or by contacting the authors. (n=no, y=yes; NI=no information, indluing insufficient information or no reply from the author.
program_nameThe name of the intervention/program based on the paper
support_unguidedSupport levels (pure= purely self-guided; tech=technical support only; auto= automated standardized or personalized encouragement; demand=support on demand which was actively initiated by the participant; human=human encouragement such as weekly calls or emails. All support should not be related to the therapeutic contents).
initial_screeningInitial human screening: y=face-to-face or telephonic human contact was present at the start of the trial, including an initial orientation session or recruiting participants from GP and/or continued the GP visits. If none of the above is presented based on the paper, we considered this variable as no.
forum_unguidedOnline discussion forums. y=yes, n= no or If there is no information about this variable.
n_sessions_plannedNumber of sessions planned.
n_sessions_receivedAverage number of sessions received. If the average is not available, we take the planned number of sessions. Only full numbers are given (no decimals).
countryCountry where the study was conducted (us= USA; uk= United Kingdom; eu= Europe; can= Canada; au= Australia; eas= east Asia; oth= other).
income_levelIncome level of the country based on the year when the study was conducted, according to the World Bank Classfication (high=high-income countries, lower-middle=lower-middle income countires; upper-middle=upper-middle income countires).
age_groupAge category based on the average age (adul= adults, 5= older adults who are ≥55 years; old= older old adults who are ≥75 years old).
mean_ageAverage age for the overall sample. When reported per condition, please calculate the weighted average.
percent_women% of women at baseline for the overall sample.
recruitmentRecruitment methods (com= community; clin= clinical; oth= other)
diagnosisDiagnosis methods (mdd= major depression; mood= mood disorder; cut= cut-off score; sub= subclinical depression;chr= chronic depression).
target_groupTarget group (adul= adults, old= older adults, stud= student population, ppd= women with perinatal depression; med= comorbid medical disorder; oth= other)
acAllocation concealment (0= high risk; 1= low risk).
baBlinding of assessors (0= high risk; 1= low risk; sr= self-report).
ittIntention-to-treat analyses (0= high risk; 1= low risk).
sgSequence generation (0= high risk; 1= low risk).
robOverall risk of bias score. ranging from 0 (high risk) to 4 (low risk). RoB is based on Cochrane tool 1.
domain.1Risk of bias (version 2) rating domain 1: randomization process. This includes low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
domain.2risk of bias (version 2) rating domain 2: deviation from intended treatment. This includes low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
domain.3risk of bias (version 2) rating domain 3: dealing with missing outcome data. This includes low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
domain.4risk of bias rating (version 2) domain 4: measurement of the outcomes. This includes low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
domain.5risk of bias (version 2) rating domain 5: selection of the reported results. This includes low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
overallThe overall risk of bias (version 2) based on the five domains. This includes the low risk of bias, high risk of bias, and some concerns.
.idmetapsyTools generated variable: Unique identifier for a trial arm comparison/row.
.gmetapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (Hedges' g).
.g_semetapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of Hedges' g.
.log_rrmetapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (logeRR).
.log_rr_semetapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of logeRR.
.event_arm1metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm.
.event_arm2metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the second trial arm.
.totaln_arm1metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the first trial arm.
.totaln_arm2metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the second trial arm.


Study References

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Database Flowchart

Studies in the depression-selfguided-psyctr dataset were extracted from the larger “depression psychotherapy” database. The study flow of this database can be found below.

(n=35518)Records identified through database searches (n=142)Records identified through other sources (n=25315)Records after duplicate removal (n=25315)Records screened (n=20870)Records excluded (n=4445)Full-text articles assessed for eligibility (n=4353)Full-text excluded (n=92)Studies included in database (n=92)Studies included in dataset
  • Companion papers: n=1036
  • Depression is not an inclusion criterion: n=666
  • Dissertations: n=31
  • Effect sizes cannot be estimated: n=126
  • Maintenenance trial: n=141
  • No control condition: n=88
  • No psychotherapy for depression: n=339
  • No random assignment: n=98
  • Not available: n=104
  • Other language: n=24
  • Protocol paper: n=453
  • Stepped care/management program: n=57
  • Children and adolescents: n=84
  • Not self-guided interventions: n=838
  • Other: n=265


Further Information

  • The full protocol of the METAPSY project ↗
  • Definitions of types of psychotherapies that are included in the Metapsy depression domain ↗
  • A paper summarizing main results of the Metapsy depression domain ↗
  • A meta-analysis based on the self-guided interventions database ↗
  • Published meta-analyses using the database ↗
  • Published 'individual participant data' meta-analyses, based on the database ↗

Citation

Lingyao Tong , Olga-Maria Panagiotopoulou , Clara Miguel , Pim Cuijpers , Eirini Karyotaki (2024) . Database of trials comparing self-guided depression interventions with control conditions. Part of the Metapsy project (Version 24.0.3 ). URL docs.metapsy.org/databases/depression-selfguided-psyctr. DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12705748 .

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