Meta-Analysis of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Research Conducted in Iran: Does Outcome Type, Intervention Modality, or Delivery Format Make a Difference?

This meta-analysis synthesized randomized and non-randomized controlled trials of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in Iranian populations, examining the effectiveness and the applications of SFBT in all Iranian settings and evaluated if the various outcomes being studied, research intervention modality, or therapy delivery format made statistical differences in outcomes. A comprehensive search strategy across three Iranian and four US databases, one Iranian conference website, and three professional websites resulted in the inclusion of 34 included studies for meta-analytic analysis. The outcomes reported an overall large significant treatment effect size (d = 0.977, 95% CI: 0.591, 1.37, p < 0.001), with subgroup analysis revealing large effects for interventions for psychosocial and mental health (g = 1.24, p < 0.001) and self-wellness (g = 0.903, p = 0.00274). SFBT was also shown to be effective in group settings (d = 1.04, p < 0.001). Results indicated that SFBT was an effective intervention for Iranian populations.