| Methods |
Design: three group parallel trial
Purpose: examine the effect of self‐control behaviour therapy on depression |
| Participants |
Patients: female out‐patients with depression as defined by a multiple cut‐off procedure of the Minnesota Multi phasic Personality Inventory (D more than 69)
Baseline comparability: yes (depression scores) |
| Interventions |
Placebo: sessions of discussion on past and present problems with no behavioural techniques taught
Untreated: no sessions
Experimental: sessions of behavioural techniques training
(Co‐intervention: NS) |
| Outcomes |
Beck Depression inventory
Minnesota Multi phasic Personality Inventory (depression scale
and total evaluation)
Group interaction activity and response elicitation
Pleasant events activity and reinforcement potential
Self‐evaluation
Common associates test
Concepts test |
| Notes |
The standard deviation (SD) on the improvement of the mean on Beck Depression Inventory was not reported. The SD was calculated from a F‐test statistic. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Adequate sequence generation? |
Unclear risk |
NS |
| Allocation concealment? |
Unclear risk |
NS |
| Blinding?
Treatment provider |
High risk |
Not described as double‐blind (placebo/behaviour therapy) |
| Blinding?
Outcome assessor |
Unclear risk |
Not relevant as patient reported outcome |
| Incomplete outcome data addressed?
All outcomes |
High risk |
Drop‐out > 15% or NS |
| Free of selective reporting? |
Unclear risk |
No protocol available |
| Free of other bias? |
Low risk |
|
| No signs of variance inequality or skewness? |
Low risk |
No variance inequality (F‐test not statistically significant) and no skewness (1.64 standard deviations does not exceed the mean) |
| Trial size > 49? |
High risk |
N = 20 |
| Clearly concealed allocation + trial size > 49 + drop‐out max 15% |
High risk |
Trial size < 49 |
