Metanalysis of the efficacy of metacognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on cognitive intrusion

Abstract

Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are well-established treatments with scientific underpinnings. When focusing on the processes, we may contend that these two therapies share certain common denominators and it might be hypothesized that both therapies favor processes of habituation to intrusion, and this may give rise to the high efficacy both therapies reveal in problems involving high intrusion. The Objective is to compare the impact of MCT and ACT on cognitive intrusion according to the studies identified in a systematic review conducted accordingly. This study is a comparation of included original reports in papers on the use of MCT and ACT for treating GAD and OCD published in English in peer-reviewed journals. Only those papers were used in which the participants were assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS; Goodman et al., 1989) and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; Meyer et al., 1990), as the main instruments for evaluating the cognitive symptoms of these disorders. Of the 1111 studies selected, 18 met all the review criteria and were therefore included. Our results reveal that MCT records better results than ACT. In conclusion, this may be because a better understanding of the workings of cognition may reduce the sense of threat, and therefore favor processes of habituation and greater acceptance and tolerance of the symptoms, thereby reducing a person’s distress.