The effectiveness of Problem Management Plus (PM+) in treating psychological distress, depression, and anxiety: a meta-analysis approach

Objectives Psychological distress encompasses a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and PTSD, which significantly impact well-being. Problem Management Plus (PM+), a scalable and adaptable intervention, has shown promise. This study conducted a meta-analysis, assessing the efficacy of PM+ and evaluating it across diverse settings.Method A thorough search was conducted across PubMed, s, PsycINFO, Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, CNKI and grey literature sources, including the WHO website and the first 10 pages of Google Scholar. Keywords related to PM+, anxiety, depression, psychological distress and PTSD were used, and studies in English and Chinese were included.Results After screening 3,122 studies, 23 met the inclusion criteria, involving 1,737 participants in the PM+ groups and 1,766 in the control groups. PM+ significantly improved mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, psychological distress and PTSD. These results suggest that PM+ is effective in enhancing mental health.Conclusion PM+ effectively improves mental health, showing clear benefits for anxiety, depression, psychological distress and PTSD. The variability in effect sizes across different studies highlights the need for more detailed, long-term studies to assess the consistency and sustainability of PM+ interventions.