The phenomenon of treatment dropout, reasons and moderators in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and other active treatments: A meta-analytic review

Treatment dropout is one of the most crucialissues thata therapist has to face on a daily basis.The negative effects of premature termination impact the client who is usually found to demonstrate poorer treatment outcomes. This meta-analysis reviewed and systematically examined drop out effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as compared to other active treatments. The goals of this study were to compare treatment dropout rates and dropout reasons, examine the influence of demographic variables and identify possible therapy moderators associated with drop out. The current meta-analysis reviewed 76studies of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) reporting dropout rates for various psychological and health-related conditions. Across reviewed studies (N=76), the overall weighted mean dropout rate was 17.95% (ACT=17.35% vs. comparison conditions=18.62%).Type of disorder, recruitment setting and therapists’ experience level were significant moderators of drop out. The most frequently reported reasons for drop out from ACT were lost contact, personal and transportation difficulties, whereas for comparative treatments they were lost contact, therapy factors and time demands. Given that most moderators of influence are not amenable to direct changes by clinicians, mediation variables should also be explored. Overall, results suggest that ACT appears to present some benefits in dropout rates for specific disorders, settings and therapists.