Meta-Analysis of Web-based Treatments for PTSD in Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

Aggression towards women can lead to serious psychopathological consequences such as PTSD, and web-based treatments can be promising tools to reduce this symptomatology, reaching as large a population as possible. This study presents a meta-analysis of web-based online treatments to reduce PTSD in women exposed to intimate partner violence, sexual abuse or maltreatment. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out. The search for studies was conducted in SCOPUS, PsycINFO, PSICODOC, PsycARTICLES and Medline, between 2010 and 2022, in September 2022. A random-effects model was used to obtain the effect size and the analysis of moderator variables. Effect sizes were calculated for PTSD, Anxiety and Depression variables in two different ways, analyzing exclusively treatment groups and comparing treatment groups with control groups and waiting lists. 9 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The effect size of PTSD when comparing treatment groups was high (d= -.809; 95% CI -1.237/-.381; k= 8). It was smaller when compared with active control groups (d= -.315; 95% CI -.942/.312; k= 4) or waiting lists (d= -.302; 95% CI -.515/-.089; k= 3). Web-based treatments for women exposed to intimate partner violence, sexual abuse or maltreatment are effective and can improve the quality of care for this population (AU)