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Background: Taking patient preference into consideration has received increased attention in the last decades. We conducted a meta‐analysis to estimate the effects of patient preference on clinical outcome, satisfaction and adherence regarding treatment of depression and anxiety. Methods: Pubmed, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for (cluster) randomized controlled trials. Twenty‐six randomized controlled clinical trials were included, comprising 3670 participants, examining the effect of patient preference regarding treatment of anxiety and depression on clinical outcome, satisfaction and/or adherence. Results: No effect of patient preference was found on clinical outcome [d = 0.06, 95% CI = (−0.03, 0.15), p = 0.16, n = 23 studies]. A small effect of patient preference was found on treatment satisfaction [d = 0.33, 95% CI = (0.08, 0.59), p = 0.01, n = 6 studies] and on treatment adherence [OR = 1.55, 95% CI = (1.28, 1.87), p < 0.001, n = 22 studies]. Limitations: Patient preference is a heterogeneous concept, future studies should strive to equalize operationalization of preference. Subgroup analyses within this study should be interpreted with caution because the amount of studies per analysed subgroup was generally low. Most studies included in this meta‐analysis focused on patients with depression. The small number of studies (n = 6) on satisfaction, prevents us from drawing firm conclusions. Conclusions: While this meta‐analysis did not find a positive effect of considering patient preference on clinical outcome, it was associated with slightly better treatment satisfaction and adherence. Accommodating preference of patients with anxiety and depression can improve treatment. Trial Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42020172556 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research has shown that depressed patients suffer from reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS). This cognitive phenomenon is associated with the maintenance and recurrence of depressive symptoms. Objectives This pilot study aims to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a relatively new group-based intervention (Memory Specificity Training; MeST) that aims to reduce rAMS in an outpatient setting. Methods Twenty-six depressed outpatients received MeST during the waiting period prior to psychotherapy. The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) was used to measure client satisfaction after the training. The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) was used to measure memory specificity before and after the training. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), before and after the training, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results Participants as well as trainers were positive about the use of MeST. Participants also showed an increase in memory specificity and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Conclusions This study suggests that MeST is feasible in an outpatient setting, that it increases autobiographical memory specificity and that it may decrease depressive symptoms. A randomized controlled trial is recommended to examine MeST and its effects on autobiographical memory specificity, depressive symptoms and depressive relapse more extensively. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: Research suggests that modification of rAMS can advance recovery and reduce the chance of developing a depression relapse. However, most existing psychotherapies for depression do not include these specific interventions., This is the first study to show that MeST in an outpatient setting is feasible and can lead to an increase in autobiographical memory specificity and that it may decrease depressive symptoms., A larger scale randomized controlled trial is required to examine whether the addition of MeST to care as usual decreases depressive symptoms more effectively than care as usual without MeST, and to examine whether subgroups of patients benefit specifically from this intervention (e.g. patients with more severely decreased memory specificity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]