Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Feb:38:101071. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.101071. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Abstract

Background: and purpose: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has gained increasing attention for the treatment of psychological disorders. This study aims to establish the effectiveness of CBT on psychological and physical outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Two waves of electronic searches of the PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were conducted. Statistical analyses were performed using Revman Manager 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software.

Results: Sixteen randomized controlled trials were eligible. There were significant improvements in anxiety (SMD = -0.23; 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.04; P = 0.02), depression (SMD = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.40 to -0.19, P < 0.01), quality of life (MD = -5.21; 95% CI: -10.25 to -0.17; P = 0.04), and mean visits to emergency departments in the CBT groups. No statistically significant differences were observed in fatigue (SMD = 0.88, 95% CI: -0.58 to 2.35, P = 0.24), exercise capacity (MD = 28.75, 95% CI: -28.30 to 85.80, P = 0.32), self-efficacy (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.34, P = 0.14), or sleep quality (MD = 1.21, 95% CI: -0.65 to 3.06, P = 0.20).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that CBT can serve as a complementary therapy to improve anxiety, depression, and quality of life in COPD patients and deserves more widespread application in clinical practice.

Keywords: Anxiety; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Depression; Meta-analysis.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / methods*
  • Depression / therapy
  • Exercise
  • Humans
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / therapy*
  • Quality of Life
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic