A systematic review and meta-analysis of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents

Background: Among minors, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are a common consequence of traumatic events requiring trauma-focused treatment. Objective: This meta-analysis quantified treatment effects of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) with PTSS as primary outcome and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and grief as secondary outcomes. Participants and setting: Inclusion criteria for individual settings: (1) patients aged between 3 and 21, (2) at least one traumatic event, (3) minimum 8 sessions of (4) TF-CBT according to Cohen, Mannarino and Deblinger (2006, 2017), (5) a quantitative PTSS measure at pre-and post-treatment, (6) original research only. Inclusion criteria for group settings: had to involve (1) psychoeducation, (2) coping strategies, (3) exposure, (4) cognitive processing/restructuring, (5) contain some reference to the manual and no minimum session number was required. Methods: Searched databases were PsychInfo, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PTSDPubs, PubMed, Web of Science, and OpenGrey. Results: 4523 participants from 28 RCTs and 33 uncontrolled studies were included. TF-CBT showed large improvements across all outcomes from pre-to post-treatment (PTSS: g = 1.14, CI 0.97-1.30) and favorable results compared to any control condition including wait-list, treatment as usual, and active treatment at post-treatment (PTSS: g = 0.52, CI 0.31-0.73). Effects were more pronounced for group settings. We give pooled estimates adjusted for risk of bias and publication bias, which initially limited the quality of the analyzed data. Conclusions: TF-CBT is an effective treatment for pediatric PTSS as well as for depressive, anxiety, and grief symptoms. It is superior to control conditions, supporting international guidelines recommending it as a first-line treatment.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis examined the treatment effects of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and related symptoms in minors. The results showed that TF-CBT was effective in reducing PTSS, depression, anxiety, and grief symptoms, and it was superior to control conditions. These findings support the recommendation of TF-CBT as a first-line treatment for pediatric PTSS.