Efficacy of Cognitive Restructuring in People with Depressive Symptoms: A Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

Background. Depression is a common mental disorder and affects people of all ages, from young people to older adults. The impact that depression has on people and society justifies the continuous search for strategies to reduce its incidence. Cognitive restructuring is a possible intervention for people with depression and is already defined as an intervention in the Nursing Interventions Classification, but the corresponding activities need to be properly structured. The aim of this Scoping Review will be to explore the literature to map the structure, content, and outcomes of cognitive restructuring and provide an overview of the efficacy of this intervention in people with depressive symptoms. Methods. This is a scoping review protocol. It will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review guidelines. We will search the following databases: MEDLINE with full text; CINAHL plus with full text; Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; Academic Search Complete; SPORTDiscus with full text; RCAAP; ARROW; Australian National University-open research; OpenGrey. The term “cognitive restructuring” does not appear as an exact term in the DeSC or MeSH descriptors, but it is a relevant term for our research. Thus, we will include this term allowing for a more precise search for information when the search is conducted in the grey literature. Conclusion. It is anticipated that this review will map the structure, content, results and the efficacy of cognitive restructuring in people with depressive symptoms. The findings may be useful for future research and appropriate health policy making.