Low intensity technology-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established treatment for people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and technology-based CBT applications are an emerging treatment option for people with OCD. These applications involve treatment protocols with automated content delivery and relatively low clinical contact. Whilst such CBT applications are promising, however, further investigation is needed to establish the efficacy of this treatment approach for individuals with OCD. The aim of the present study was to review the efficacy of technology-delivered CBT with minimal clinician support for OCD using a meta-analytic approach. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were identified through PsycINFO, Medline and Scopus resulting in 18 eligible studies (n = 1707). Control conditions comprised both passive (namely no treatment, other treatments and waitlist controls) and active. Measurement of OCD symptoms improvement was the outcome in each study. RESULTS: Participants in the technology-delivered CBT group scored lower on Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) (g = − 0.59, 95% CI = [− 0.99, − 0.18], p = 0.01), Y-BOCS and Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) combined (g = − 0.55, 95% CI = [− 0.87, − 0.24], p = 0.003) and Obsessive-Compulsive-Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) (g = − 0.36, 95% CI = [− 0.62, − 0.09], p = 0.02) at post-treatment than passive control groups. There were no significant findings when compared to controls with other treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that technology-delivered CBT with low personal contact intensity, relative to passive control groups, is an efficacious and promising treatment option for individuals with OCD. Further research is needed to allow for a comparison with control groups with other treatments. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-021-03272-5.