Researcher allegiance in psychotherapy outcome research: an overview of reviews

Munder, Thomas; Brütsch, Oliver; Leonhart, Rainer; Gerger, Heike; Barth, Jürgen (2013). Researcher allegiance in psychotherapy outcome research: an overview of reviews. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW, 33(4), pp. 501-511. Elsevier 10.1016/j.cpr.2013.02.002

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Researcher allegiance (RA) is widely discussed as a risk of bias in psychotherapy outcome research. The relevance attached to RA bias is related to meta-analyses demonstrating an association of RA with treatment effects. However, recent meta-analyses have yielded mixed results. To provide more clarity on the magnitude and robustness of the RA-outcome association this article reports on a meta-meta-analysis summarizing all available meta-analytic estimates of the RA-outcome association. Random-effects methods were used. Primary study overlap was controlled. Thirty meta-analyses were included. The mean RA-outcome association was r=.262 (p=.002, I(2)=28.98%), corresponding to a moderate effect size. The RA-outcome association was robust across several moderating variables including characteristics of treatment, population, and the type of RA assessment. Allegiance towards the RA bias hypothesis moderated the RA-outcome association. The findings of this meta-meta-analysis suggest that the RA-outcome association is substantial and robust. Implications for psychotherapy outcome research are discussed.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)

UniBE Contributor:

Munder, Thomas, Gerger, Heike, Barth, Jürgen

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 360 Social problems & social services

ISSN:

0272-7358

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Doris Kopp Heim

Date Deposited:

12 Feb 2014 16:28

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:27

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.cpr.2013.02.002

PubMed ID:

23500154

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.40740

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/40740

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