Objective: Outcome studies support the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral approaches for treating depression among adults. The effectiveness of these approaches for adolescents, however, has received less empirical attention. This article critically reviews the literature on cognitive-behavioral therapy with depressed and dysphoric adolescents.
Method: A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of these approaches and the stability of therapeutic gains.
Results: Fourteen posttreatment-control comparisons and 10 follow-up-control comparisons resulted from six studies containing 217 subjects. The overall effect size posttreatment was -1.02, whereas the overall effect size at follow-up was -0.61. The effect sizes in both of these analyses were homogeneous and were supported by Fail-Safe-N calculations.
Conclusion: Results suggest the short- and long-term effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral approaches for treating depressive symptoms with this population.