Effectiveness of psychological treatment for child and adolescent depression: a qualitative and quantitative review of two decades of research

Evidence of the effectiveness of psychological treatment for child and adolescent depression is reviewed. The qualitative review consists of case studies, open clinical trials and control group studies, evaluated in accordance with the criteria established by the American Psychological Association to determine the empirical support of psychological treatment (Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, 1995). The quantitative review consists of a meta-analysis of 20 studies carried out throughout the period 1980-1999, on a sample of 704 children and adolescents (between the ages of 9-19). Ninety per cent of the studies make use of a cognitive- behavioral technique or program as the active treatment. The effectiveness of the psychological treatment for child and adolescent depression is high in the post-test (d= 0.84) and moderate in the follow-up (d= 0.78). These results confirm the ones obtained by Reinecke, Ryan and DuBois (1998) with a smaller, more heterogeneous sample.