Meta-Analysis of Emotional Regulation Training on Reducing the Symptoms of Depression Disorder

Aim: Emotional regulation is one of the areas that has been considered in the epidemiology of depression in the last decade. The results of studies on the effect of emotional regulation training on reducing the symptoms of depression disorder vary and contradictory. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the effectiveness of emotional regulation training on reducing the symptoms of depression disorder. Methods: For this research, meta-analysis technique were utilized, in which the results of various research studies were integrated in order to determine the size of the effect of parental education programs. To achieve this purpose, the related literature concerning the topic was investigated in dissertations and research articles published in scientific journals from 2006 to 2020 were reviewed. Based on the research inclusion criterion, 17 research studies, including 14 articles and 3 dissertations were considered for meta-analysis. Data analysis and calculation of effect size were performed using the CMA2 software and the Hedges g-index. Findings: The findings from this meta-analysis showed that the random effect of emotional regulation training on reducing the symptoms of depression disorder (1/39) (P< 0/001), which is evaluated in accordance with the Cohen table of the large effect size. Conclusion: It seems that emotional regulation training can be used as a suitable method for reducing depression in educational and therapeutic centers.