Results of the moderation analysis for specific and general anxiety scores and depression scores
| Moderator | SMD (95% CI) | z | p | Q1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific anxiety measure | ||||
| Session number | −0.0414 (−0.1038 to 0.0209) | −1.3019 | 0.19 | 1.6950 |
| Technique | −0.2827 (−0.7443 to 0.1788) | −1.2006 | 0.23 | 1.4415 |
| Target region | −0.4963 (−1.2778 to 0.2852) | −1.2447 | 0.21 | 1.5493 |
| Protocol type | −0.4965 (−1.1366 to 0.1435) | −1.5205 | 0.13 | 2.3118 |
| General anxiety measure | ||||
| Session number | −0.0723 (−0.1811 to 0.0364) | −1.3039 | 0.19 | 1.7001 |
| Technique | −0.1830 (−1.2449 to 0.8790) | −0.3377 | 0.74 | 0.1140 |
| Target region | −0.8212 (−2.2992 to 0.6568) | −1.0890 | 0.28 | 1.1858 |
| Protocol type | 0.2243 (−1.2106 to 1.6592) | 0.3064 | 0.76 | 0.0939 |
| Depression measure | ||||
| Session number | −0.0777 (−0.1634 to 0.0080) | −1.7760 | 0.076* | 3.1542 |
| Technique | 0.5794 (−0.7260 to 1.8847) | 0.8699 | 0.38 | 0.7567 |
| Target region | −0.6709 (−2.9417 to 1.5998) | −0.5791 | 0.56 | 0.3354 |
| Protocol type | 0.8540 (−0.5639 to 2.2718) | 1.1805 | 0.24 | 1.3935 |
| Comorbidity | 0.9563 (−0.3677 to 2.2803) | 1.4157 | 0.16 | 2.0042 |
CI = confidence interval; dlPFC = dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; iTBS = intermittent theta burst stimulation; rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; SMD = standardized mean difference (effect size); tDCS = transcranial direct current stimulation. The applied technique (iTBS, rTMS, tDCS), target region (left vs. right dlPFC) and protocol type (excitatory v. inhibitory) moderators were categorical variables; session number was a numerical variable. For the depression outcome measure only, we computed whether the presence of comorbid depression influenced the outcome of the scores. z = z score associated with the SMD value; p = p value associated with the z score in the same row.
↵* p < 0.10.