Effectiveness of Emotion‐Focused Therapy for Self‐Criticism: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Meta-analýza
Typy studií podle spolehlivosti
Od nejspolehlivějšího po nejméně spolehlivý.
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Souhrn více studií (meta-analýza, systematický přehled) ← tahle studie
nejspolehlivější obraz, jaký dnes máme. -
Randomizovaný pokus (RCT)
lidé byli rozděleni náhodně, takže rozdíl lze přičíst zásahu. -
Porovnání skupin
skupiny se porovnaly, ale bez náhodného rozdělení; naznačuje účinek. -
Pozorování nebo rozhovory
popisuje, co se děje a co spolu souvisí; příčinu to neukáže. -
Názor odborníků, teorie nebo jeden případ
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Nový výzkum
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Nový výzkum ← tahle studie
vyšla letos nebo loni. -
Zavedené
vyšla předloni nebo dřív. -
Klasika
práce, na které obor staví.
Stáří neříká, jak je studie spolehlivá. To říká typ studie.
Ve zkratce
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) reduced self-criticism with moderate to large effects in this meta-analysis. The authors pooled 11 studies and 531 participants, most of them women. Most randomised trials carried a high risk of bias, so treat these results as preliminary.
Celý souhrn studie Context · Findings · Implications · Co nepřeceňovat
Context
Self-criticism means a harsh, attacking inner voice. Researchers link it to many mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. EFT treats self-criticism as a conflict between a critical part and an experiencing part of the self. In two-chair dialogue, the client moves between chairs and speaks from each part. The therapist helps the client feel the critic's impact and name unmet needs. The aim is to build self-compassion or protective self-assertion. This was the first meta-analysis to test EFT for self-criticism specifically.
Findings
The authors searched four databases and included 11 studies. Seven were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and four were single-group pre-post studies. Together they covered 531 participants across seven countries. Within EFT groups, self-criticism fell with a pooled effect of Hedges' g = -0.86. That is a large effect. The 95% confidence interval ran from -1.16 to -0.57. When the authors compared EFT with control groups in the seven RCTs, the effect was g = -0.73. That is moderate to large, with a 95% confidence interval of -0.99 to -0.48. Heterogeneity was substantial in the within-group analysis (I² = 73%) and low in the RCT analysis (I² = 26%). Removing outlier studies one at a time changed the estimates only slightly. Effects stayed in the moderate-to-large range. Egger's test suggested possible publication bias. Trim-and-fill adjustment barely changed the pooled estimates. Study quality was a concern. Five of the seven RCTs were rated at high risk of bias. Only one RCT was rated low risk. The four pre-post studies were rated good (one) or fair (three). None of the pre-post studies blinded participants or therapists. Most participants were women (87%), and many were not formally diagnosed clinical patients.
Implications
EFT, and two-chair dialogue in particular, may help clients who are highly self-critical. The effect sizes here are larger than those reported for compassion-focused therapy. The authors caution against direct comparison, because designs and measures differed. Publication bias and weak trial methods may have inflated the numbers. Pre-post designs cannot rule out natural recovery or the passage of time. The authors also had to assume a pre-post correlation of 0.5, because studies did not report it. So the true effect may be smaller than reported. For your practice, EFT is a reasonable option to try with self-critical clients. Track self-criticism with a validated measure such as the Forms of Self-Criticism and Self-Reassurance Scale. Do not present EFT as proven superior to other approaches. More rigorous trials with diverse samples are needed.
Co nepřeceňovat
Do not tell clients EFT is proven better than compassion-focused therapy or CBT. Five of seven randomised trials were rated at high risk of bias. Most participants were women, and many were not clinical patients. Publication bias may have inflated the effect sizes. Pre-post studies cannot rule out natural recovery. The evidence is preliminary, and the authors call for better trials.
Zdroje
- Yi Wang, Conor Douris, Ladislav Timulak (2026). Effectiveness of Emotion‐Focused Therapy for Self‐Criticism: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70346