Effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review

Metacognitive therapy has become a field of increasing interest in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and has increasingly been discussed in literature. This study aimed to review the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Accordingly, a review of ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOHost databases revealed that 11 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The included studies were evaluated in various aspects such as sample, methodology and results. The results of the review revealed that patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder who receive metacognitive therapy have significantly reduced levels of worry and anxiety and that the majority of these patients demonstrate clinical recovery. Following metacognitive therapy, it was determined that the proportion of patients who no longer met the diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder and completely recovered was relatively high. The results also demonstrate that metacognitive therapy yields higher recovery rates than applied relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy and intolerance of uncertainty therapy and stands out as a more effective treatment option in the short and long term. Metacognitive therapy significantly reduces both positive and negative metacognitive beliefs, which play critical role in the development and maintenance of generalized anxiety disorder. Furthermore, metacognitive therapy is an effective intervention in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, regardless of whether it is applied in an individual or group format.