Terapias cognitivo-comportamentais em grupo para o transtorno do pânico: revisão sistemática e meta-análise

Abstract

Introduction: Panic Disorder (PD) is a chronic condition that leads to reduction of quality of life and intense suffering. Although cognitive behavior therapies (CBTs) are vastly studied treatments for panic disorder (PD), reviews on the subject usually don t discriminate between individual and group settings. This study aims to evaluate, through systematic review of literature, the effectiveness of group CBTs for PD and to synthesize matters of group structure and process. Method: Two systematic reviews were made. We conducted a literature search on LILACS, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge and Pubmed. The selection criteria were different for each review. In the first review, intra-group Hedges (g) effect size calculations with data from randomized clinical trials were made. Publication bias and heterogeneity were assessed. In the second, data analysis was made through theory-guided thematic analysis of empiric studies. Results: In the meta-analysis, summary effect sizes were large for symptoms of panic and anxiety (g=1,39), moderate for symptoms of depression (g=0,79) and large for agoraphobic symptoms (g=0,92). Nevertheless, the data from the agoraphobic symptoms were heterogeneous (p<0,001). In the review of empiric studies, most used two therapists, one and a half hour or longer sessions (totaling 18 or more hours of treatment) and 4 to 8 subjects per group. Few studies investigated matters related to group process. Conclusions: It was possible to outline the basic structure used in empirical studies of group CBTs for PD. Our results suggest that group CBTs are effective for PD and constitute an interesting alternative of treatment. Future studies should investigate and consider group process.