The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention for depression in adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a promising intervention for relapse prevention in major depressive disorder (MDD), although its efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms during depressive episodes remains unclear. This systematic literature review aimed to assess the efficacy of MBCT in adults diagnosed with MDD and evaluate the risk of bias in the studies. The search was conducted using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indexed in the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, BVS/Lilacs, IBECS, and Index Psicologia databases. A total of 5,316 articles were identified, and 16 met the inclusion criteria. Comparison conditions included active controls (other interventions) or non-active controls (waitlist or treatment as usual). MBCT was found to be superior in 10 of the studies (65%), while it showed lower efficacy in only two studies, where it was compared with the cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy. MBCT appears to be effective for adults with depressive symptoms during depressive episodes. However, only a limited number of studies have assessed the long-term effects of this intervention through follow-up assessments. The risk of bias in the studies suggests that the results should be interpreted with caution.