Group treatment for substance use disorder in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

Abstract Background and aims From residential programs to outpatient services, group therapy permeates the clinical field of substance misuse. While several group interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs) have demonstrated effectiveness, the existing evidence on group therapy has not been systematically reviewed. The current meta-analysis aims to provide estimates of the efficacy of group therapy for SUDs in adults using rigorous methods. Methods We included studies comparing group psychotherapy to no treatment control groups, individual psychotherapy, medication, self-help groups, and other active treatments applying no specific psychotherapeutic techniques for patients with substan…