Evidence mapPaperPMID 42205995Full record

ReviewFrontiers in psychiatry2026

Comparative efficacy of non-pharmacological therapies in adolescents with subthreshold depression: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Qipei Ji, Zhenbo Wang, Xiaobo Wang, Ling Zhou, Zhenkui Lou, Meiling Su, Xin Gao, Shufang Jiang, Hongfei Qiu, Zhongchun Luo

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Qipei Ji *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Zhenbo Wang *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Xiaobo WangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Ling ZhouDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Zhenkui LouDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Meiling SuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Xin GaoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Shufang JiangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Hongfei QiuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.
Zhongchun LuoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Subthreshold depression (SD) is highly prevalent in adolescents and young adults aged 11-25 years, leading to impaired psychosocial functioning and a high risk of progression to major depressive disorder (MDD). Non-pharmacological therapies are the mainstay of intervention for adolescent SD, yet the comparative efficacy of different interventions remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the relative effectiveness of various non-pharmacological interventions for adolescent SD via network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: We initially retrieved 5,297 records from six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, PsycINFO, CINAHL) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of non-pharmacological interventions for SD in individuals aged 11-25 years who did not meet the DSM-IV/ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for MDD or depressive episode. The control groups received waitlist control or usual care, and the primary outcome was depressive symptoms assessed by validated scales (BDI-II, CES-D, CDI, HAMD). Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment (RoB 2.0). Heterogeneity was analyzed using the Results: A total of 30 RCTs involving 3,471 participants were included. Traditional meta-analysis showed that non-pharmacological interventions significantly improved depressive symptoms in adolescents with SD (pooled SMD = -0.93, 95% CI: -1.20 to -0.66, Conclusions: Non-pharmacological interventions are effective for adolescents with SD, and BA is recommended as the first-line clinical option. Clinical selection of interventions should take into account individual patient characteristics and intervention features. This study has several limitations, including high heterogeneity across studies, single-study evidence for some interventions (e.g., LT, PEI), a broad age range of participants and the lack of long-term follow-up data. Further large-scale, multi-center RCTs are needed to validate these findings.

Indexed as

adolescentsnetwork meta-analysisnon-pharmacological therapiessubthreshold depressionsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID42205995
PMCPMC13202787

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.