Talk therapy probably helps women hurt by a partner feel less depressed.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   This review included 5,517 women aged 16 or older in 33 studies. They were about 37 on average, and two in three were out of work.

2. 02

   What they did

   Most women had talking therapy in person, with between 2 and 50 sessions. The other group got usual care, no treatment, or a wait before starting.

3. 03

   What happened

   Talking therapy lowered depression six to 12 months later. It also lowered anxiety in the first six months. Dropping out was no more common than in the other group. The groups did not differ on trauma symptoms, being hurt again, quality of life or belief in their own ability. Only 12 of 33 studies were clear about how they kept group assignments hidden.

What the review found

1. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across 4 studies, talk therapy left women less depressed than the other groups did.

   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 600 people · vs usual care or no treatment · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty moderate · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across 4 studies, talk therapy eased anxiety more than the other groups did in the first six months.

   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 158 people · vs usual care or no treatment · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. No differenceMotivation

   In one study, talk therapy did not make women more sure of themselves than the other groups did.

   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 1 study with 346 people · vs usual care or no treatment · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

4. No differenceOther outcomes

   Across 5 studies, women dropped out of talk therapy as often as the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 5 studies with 840 people · vs usual care or no treatment · behaviour was recorded · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source