Comparing the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression in head-to-head randomized controlled trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis of equivalence.
Clinical Psychology Review December 1, 2022 Kristine Trettø Sverre, E. Nissen, I. Farver-Vestergaard et al.
A meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials with 2,750 participants found that mindfulness-based therapies (MBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are equally effective for treating current depression in adults. At both post-intervention and follow-up, the difference in outcomes was statistically negligible, and Bayesian analyses supported equivalence. Subgroup analysis suggested that at follow-up, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was more similar to CBT than was mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). The authors conclude that MBT and CBT are equally efficacious, but it remains unclear whether they work through different mechanisms or shared factors.