{
  "abstract": "Introduction Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are both efficacious treatments for depression, but it is less clear how both compare on outcome domains other than depression and in the longer term. Moreover, it is unclear which of these two psychotherapies works better for whom. This article describes the protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis that aims to compare the efficacy of CBT and IPT for adults with depression on a range of outcomes in both the short and long term, and to explore moderators of the treatment effect. This study can enhance our understanding of treatments for depression and inform treatment personalisation.Methods and analysis Systematic literature searches will be conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library from inception to 1 January 2026, to identify randomised clinical trials (RCTs) comparing CBT and IPT for adult depression. Researchers of eligible studies will be invited to contribute their participant-level data. One-stage IPD meta-analyses will be conducted with mixed-effects models to examine (a) treatment efficacy on all outcome measures that are assessed at post-treatment or follow-up in at least two studies, and (b) various baseline participant characteristics as potential moderators of depressive symptom level at treatment completion.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this study since it will be based on anonymised data from RCTs that have already been completed. The findings of the present study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentation.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA",
        "Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Tao Lin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Zachary D Cohen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania",
        "Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Simona Stefan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania",
        "Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Radu Șoflău"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania",
        "Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Liviu A Fodor"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Raluca Georgescu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Sanne J E Bruijniks"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Lotte Lemmens"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Bagby"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Lena Quilty"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University, Linkoping, Sweden"
      ],
      "name": "Annika Ekeblad"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University, Linkoping, Sweden"
      ],
      "name": "Rolf Holmqvist"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University Of Bristol, Bristol, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Jonathan Evans"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Exeter, Exeter, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Heather A O’Mahen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, Michigan State University, Flint, Michigan, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Jennifer E Johnson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Caron Zlotnick"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Peter Hilpert"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Janet Carter"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Cognitive & Interpersonal Therapy Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Carolina McBride"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Constantino"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Alice E Coyne"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Holly A Swartz"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Lauren M Bylsma"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Eirini Karyotaki"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Clara Miguel"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Pandora Pantazi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Madison R Schmidt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Frederik J Wienicke"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Jasmijn Breunese"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Steven D Hollon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania",
        "Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Pim Cuijpers"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "Ioana-Alina Cristea"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Psychology, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands",
        "Depression Expertise Center, Pro Persona Mental Health Care, Nijmegen, Netherlands"
      ],
      "name": "Ellen Driessen"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Efficacy and moderators of cognitive behavioural therapy versus interpersonal psychotherapy for adult depression: study protocol of a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis",
  "uid": "8c5d7e3e-df4a-5a5c-957a-fab3789c3ac8"
}