The effectiveness of digital interventions for enhancing empathy in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

IF 2.6 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Current Psychology Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-17 DOI:10.1007/s12144-025-08981-8

Camille Y Williams, Qiang Xie, Elvan Muratoglu, Simon B Goldberg

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Abstract

The current study examined the effectiveness of digital interventions for enhancing empathy in adults. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions compared with non-specific (i.e., not intended to be therapeutic) and active control conditions (i.e., intended to be therapeutic). Across 24 studies, including 26 comparisons (n = 3,137), the overall estimated effect size was statistically significant (g = 0.19, 95% CI [0.05, 0.32], p = .006). However, when accounting for publication bias using trim-and-fill analysis, the estimated effect size became smaller and non-significant (g = 0.07, 95% CI [-0.07, 0.22], p = .322). Studies with follow-up data were analyzed separately (k = 6), yielding a small effect (g = 0.29, 95% CI [0.07,0.5], p = .008) which was robust to trim-and-fill analysis. No significant moderators were identified. An exploratory analysis of studies separated by control group type revealed a small positive effect for studies with non-specific control groups (g = 0.22, 95% CI [0.12, 0.33], p < .001) which was robust to trim-and-fill analysis. The results suggest there is potential for digital interventions to have a positive impact on enhancement of empathy in adults, although digital interventions do not appear to outperform active control conditions. For digital interventions to most fully deliver on their potential, they may require more advanced technology that can offer attuned interaction that mimics a human relationship, as well as offer feedback to participants.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-025-08981-8.

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数字干预对增强成人共情的有效性：随机对照试验的荟萃分析。

目前的研究考察了数字干预对增强成年人同理心的有效性。我们进行了一项随机对照试验（rct）的荟萃分析，将干预措施与非特异性（即不打算治疗）和主动对照条件（即打算治疗）进行比较。在24项研究中，包括26项比较（n = 3,137），总体估计效应量具有统计学意义（g = 0.19, 95% CI [0.05, 0.32], p = 0.006）。然而，当使用修剪填充分析考虑发表偏倚时，估计的效应大小变小且不显著（g = 0.07, 95% CI [-0.07, 0.22], p = .322）。有随访资料的研究单独分析（k = 6），影响较小(g = 0.29, 95% CI [0.07,0.5], p =。008)，对修整填充分析具有稳健性。没有发现显著的调节因子。对按对照组类型分开的研究进行探索性分析，发现非特异性对照组的研究有较小的积极作用（g = 0.22, 95% CI [0.12, 0.33], p）。补充信息：在线版本包含补充材料，可在10.1007/s12144-025-08981-8获得。

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来源期刊

Current Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

10.70%

发文量

1412

期刊介绍： Current Psychology is an international forum for rapid dissemination of peer-reviewed research at the cutting edge of psychology. It welcomes significant and rigorous empirical and theoretical contributions from all the major areas of psychology, including but not limited to: cognitive psychology and cognition, social, clinical, health, developmental, methodological, and personality psychology, neuropsychology, psychometrics, human factors, and educational psychology.