Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Brenna Renn

Second Committee Member

Joanne Ullman

Third Committee Member

Nicole Short

Fourth Committee Member

Samantha John

Number of Pages

87

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are highly comorbid in older adults and are often undertreated. Psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., life review, cognitive-behavioral therapy) are effective at treating these disorders. Additionally, in part due to their overlap, research and treatment are moving towards embracing transdiagnostic conceptualizations of anxiety and depression. This thesis describes a systematic review and meta-analysis of psychotherapy trials for anxiety and depression in older adults to evaluate their efficacy for both disorders, as well as identify any mechanisms targeted in treatment.

Methods: Three databases—PSYCinfo, EmBase, and PubMed—were searched with relevant keywords. Studies were independently screened at the title/abstract and full text stages by two reviewers. Data were extracted according to a pre-registered protocol, and meta-analyses utilized a random effects model. All analyses were conducted in R Statistical Software.

Results: Of 2,830 papers reviewed at the title/abstract stage, 245 full texts were evaluated for eligibility, and 21 studies were included in the final review. There was a pooled effect size estimate of g = -0.39 (CI: -0.59, -0.20) for anxiety results and g = -0.41 (CI: -0.59, -0.23) for depression. Both analyses found high degrees of study heterogeneity.

Discussion: Study interventions for later-life psychotherapy significantly improve self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, different factors moderate the relationship between treatment group and symptom reduction. Further work should utilize transdiagnostic mechanisms to target these conditions in treatment.

Controlled Subject

Anxiety--Treatment; Depression, Mental--Treatment; Psychotherapy

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

1094 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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