concept

psychological placebo

Also known as: Psychological Placebo Treatment

Facts (12)

Sources

Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety-Related Disorders link.springer.com Springer Dec 19, 2022 10 facts

claimComparing an active intervention with a psychological or pill placebo is a systematic approach to address the limitations of TAU and WL control conditions in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy research.

claimPsychological placebos in the context of this meta-analysis are defined as nondirective and nonspecific psychological interventions, which include the discussion and interaction of a patient's problems with a therapist.

claimRandomized controlled trials published in the 5 years prior to the meta-analysis show relatively minimal advantage of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) over psychological placebos in the treatment of PTSD.

claimPsychological placebos are designed to mimic the structure of active interventions, controlling for nonspecific factors like the frequency of therapist interaction, without including active treatment ingredients such as cognitive restructuring and behavioral interventions.

procedureThe researchers performed five specific subgroup analyses: (1) treatment format (individual vs. group therapy), (2) analysis type (completer vs. intention-to-treat), (3) mode of assessment (self-report vs. clinician report), (4) participant characteristics (veteran or active-duty military vs. non-military), and (5) comparison condition (Psychological Placebo Control Therapy vs. other psychological placebo).

measurementSubgroup analyses in 'Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety-Related Disorders' found significant group differences between studies comparing CBT to present-centred therapy (Hedges’ g = 0.11, 95% CI − 0.11 to 0.34, p < 0.05) and those comparing against other psychological placebos (Hedges’ g = 0.36, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.62).

claimThe psychological placebo conditions used in the studies analyzed in 'Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety-Related Disorders' included present-centred therapy (n = 4 studies), psychoeducation (n = 3 studies), and other psychological placebos (n = 3 studies), with no studies using a pill placebo.

procedureTo be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to meet four criteria: (1) patients were aged 18 to 65 and met DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, or DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for specific anxiety-related disorders; (2) patients were randomly assigned to either CBT or a placebo (pill or psychological); (3) anxiety symptom severity was assessed via a validated clinical interview or self-report instrument pre- and post-treatment; and (4) studies provided sufficient data to calculate effect sizes.

claimParticipants receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and PTSD showed a significantly higher chance of dropping out from the study than those receiving the psychological placebo.

claimIn studies of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for PTSD, there were no significant group differences found between Present-Centered Therapy (PCT) and other psychological placebos, nor between military and non-military participants.

A systematic review of cognitive behavioral therapy-based ... frontiersin.org Frontiers 2 facts

claimThe systematic review compared CBT-based interventions against active treatments (such as other psychological interventions) or inactive treatments (such as wait-list, usual care, attention control, or psychological placebo).

claimThe systematic review included Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based interventions only when the comparison group received either an active psychological intervention or an inactive treatment, such as a wait-list, usual care, attention control, or psychological placebo.