Web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for symptoms of anxiety and depression: Within-group effect size benchmarks as tools for clinical practice

Abstract

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for evidence-based behavioural health interventions that can be delivered remotely. This article provides within-group effect size benchmarks for randomised controlled trials of Internet-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the treatment of adults with anxiety and depression. Effect sizes were calculated using the Glass approach, adjusted using Hedges g, then aggregated to produce separate benchmarks for measures of anxiety and depression. These benchmarks can be used by community-based treatment providers to evaluate the effectiveness of their web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to determine if it should be continued, modified for the unique needs of their client population and practice setting, or discontinued.