Table 1 Descriptive statistics of 44 included studies.

From: Internet-based and mobile-based cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Characteristics

Studies with characteristics, No. (%)

Country

  North America

12 (27.27)

  Europe

20 (45.45)

  Australia

10 (22.73)

  Asia

2 (4.55)

Sample size, mean (SD) [range]

  Total

115.39 (122.48) [15–562]

  Intervention group

59.30 (63.07) [7–280]

  Control group

51.07 (54.26) [8–282]

Risk of bias

  High risk

17 (38.64)

  Some concerns

24 (54.55)

  Low risk

3 (6.82)

Attrition rate at post-intervention

  High (>20%)

7 (15.91)

  Moderate (5–20%)

32 (72.73)

  Low (<5%)

5 (11.36)

Control group type

  Active control

21 (47.73)

  Non-active control

24 (54.55)

Inclusion of follow-up data

  First follow-up data reported

19 (43.18)

  Last follow-up data reported

6 (13.64)

Follow-up duration after intervention (weeks)

  First follow-up, mean (SD) [range]

15.78 (7.31) [8–36]

  Last follow-up, mean (SD) [range]

26 (12.81) [12–48]

Psychiatric symptoms

  Depressive symptoms

39 (88.64)

  Anxiety symptoms

30 (68.18)

  Depressive and anxiety symptoms

6 (13.64)

  Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms

3 (6.82)

  General psychological distress

10 (22.73)

Physical distress

  Physical symptoms

27 (61.36)

  Functional impairment

19 (43.18)

  Self-rated ill health

4 (9.09)

  Objective physiological dysfunction

2 (4.55)

Proportion of female, mean (SD) [range]

71.11% (18.97%) [28.81%–100.00%]

Age of all included patients, mean (SD) [range]

47.61 (13.27) [11–91]

Chronic diseases

  Chronic pain

19 (43.18)

  Cancer

7 (15.91)

  Arthritis

6 (13.64)

  Cardiovascular disease

4 (9.09)

  Diabetes

2 (4.55)

  HIV

1 (2.27)

  Multiple sclerosis

1 (2.27)

  Different chronic diseases

4 (9.09)

Physical or psychiatric comorbidity

  Yes

23 (52.27)

  No

21 (47.73)

Medication received for physical condition(s)

  Yes

22 (50.00)

  No

22 (50.00)

Surgery received for physical condition(s)

  Yes

6 (13.64)

  No

38 (86.36)

Supplement and/or other received for physical condition(s)

  Yes

5 (11.36)

  No

39 (88.64)

Medication received for psychiatric condition(s)

  Yes

12 (27.27)

  No

32 (72.73)

Psychotherapy received for psychiatric condition(s)

  Yes

3 (6.82)

  No

41 (93.18)

Intervention delivery platform

  Videoconference

3 (6.82)

  Web-based

39 (88.64)

  Mobile app

3 (6.82)

Guidance

  Guided

32 (72.73)

  Unguided

14 (31.82)

Intervention duration (no. of sessions)

  Short (<12 sessions) n (%) [range]

35 (79.55) [4–10]

  Medium/long (≥12 sessions) n (%) [range]

9 (20.45) [12–48]

Therapeutic elements

  Behavioral modification

43 (97.73)

  Cognitive restructuring

30 (68.18)

  Problem-solving

43 (97.73)

  Psychoeducation

37 (84.09)

  Mindfulness

28 (63.64)

Intention-to-treat analysis

  Yes

33 (75.00)

  No

11 (25.00)

  1. The detailed information of individual studies is available in Supplementary Tables 1–5. Only 1 article did not include behavioral modification30. Only 1 article did not include problem-solving51.
  2. Definitions. “Attrition rate at post-intervention” was defined as: <5% = low, 5–20% = moderate, and >20% = high106. “Non-active” control group included waitlist control (WLC) and treatment-as-usual (TAU) / standard care (SC); “Active” control group included information/education (k = 10), discussion forum (k = 5), relaxation (k = 2), attention control (scheduled contact) (k = 2), supportive therapy (k = 1), computerized cognitive remediation therapy (k = 1), and lifestyle management (k = 1). (1 article contained both active and non-active control groups;42 1 article contained two active control groups59.) “General psychological distress” included distress (e.g., Kessler 10-item Psychological Distress Scale [K-10]) and stress (e.g., “Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Stress Subscale”).
  3. Age range was compiled based on retrievable information from n = 24 (54.55%) studies (the remaining n = 20 studies did not provide such information). For “Intervention delivery format”, 1 article offered intervention through a mix of web-based (main) and mobile-app (complementary) platforms40. “Guidance” was defined as: “Guided” refers to therapists’ therapeutic input, including active provision of intervention, feedback, and/or support; “Unguided” refers to technical/adherence or other non-specified assistance only12. (2 articles contained both guided and unguided interventions21,33.) “Intervention duration” was defined as: <12 sessions = short, 12–16 sessions = medium, >16 sessions = long19.
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