{"title":"Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Anxiety Disorders in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Dan Wang, Jingwen Sun, Eu Yong Chuan, Qinming Yu","doi":"10.30773/pi.2025.0437","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating anxiety disorders in adults and provide evidence-based support for clinical practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing experimental groups that received acupuncture for anxiety disorders with control groups that did not were retrieved from four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Embase). The standardised mean difference (SMD) and relative risk (RR) of each, along with its 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve RCTs involving 1,240 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results showed a significantly superior improvement in anxiety symptoms in the acupuncture group compared with the control group, based on both post-treatment scores (SMD=-0.80, 95% CI: -1.11 to -0.48, p<0.001) and change score values (SMD=-1.11, 95% CI: -1.56 to -0.65, p<0.001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated a consistent trend of efficacy across different assessment scales, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the acupuncture group and the control group (RR=1.97, 95% CI: 0.50 to 7.74). Sensitivity analysis did not reveal significant changes in the results, confirming the robustness of these findings.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Current evidence indicates that acupuncture is an effective and safe intervention for treating anxiety disorders in adults, significantly reducing anxiety symptoms with an incidence of adverse events comparable to that of a control group. It is recommended that acupuncture be considered an alternative option in the comprehensive management of anxiety disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":21164,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatry Investigation","volume":"23 8","pages":"963-975"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13485394/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychiatry Investigation","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2025.0437","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/8/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating anxiety disorders in adults and provide evidence-based support for clinical practice.
Methods: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing experimental groups that received acupuncture for anxiety disorders with control groups that did not were retrieved from four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Embase). The standardised mean difference (SMD) and relative risk (RR) of each, along with its 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated.
Results: Twelve RCTs involving 1,240 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results showed a significantly superior improvement in anxiety symptoms in the acupuncture group compared with the control group, based on both post-treatment scores (SMD=-0.80, 95% CI: -1.11 to -0.48, p<0.001) and change score values (SMD=-1.11, 95% CI: -1.56 to -0.65, p<0.001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated a consistent trend of efficacy across different assessment scales, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the acupuncture group and the control group (RR=1.97, 95% CI: 0.50 to 7.74). Sensitivity analysis did not reveal significant changes in the results, confirming the robustness of these findings.
Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that acupuncture is an effective and safe intervention for treating anxiety disorders in adults, significantly reducing anxiety symptoms with an incidence of adverse events comparable to that of a control group. It is recommended that acupuncture be considered an alternative option in the comprehensive management of anxiety disorders.
期刊介绍：
The Psychiatry Investigation is published on the 25th day of every month in English by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA). The Journal covers the whole range of psychiatry and neuroscience. Both basic and clinical contributions are encouraged from all disciplines and research areas relevant to the pathophysiology and management of neuropsychiatric disorders and symptoms, as well as researches related to cross cultural psychiatry and ethnic issues in psychiatry. The Journal publishes editorials, review articles, original articles, brief reports, viewpoints and correspondences. All research articles are peer reviewed. Contributions are accepted for publication on the condition that their substance has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Authors submitting papers to the Journal (serially or otherwise) with a common theme or using data derived from the same sample (or a subset thereof) must send details of all relevant previous publications and simultaneous submissions. The Journal is not responsible for statements made by contributors. Material in the Journal does not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or of the KNPA. Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy-edited to improve readability and to ensure conformity with house style.
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