Comparing the Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for Adolescent Outcomes in Schools Between the U.S. and East Asian Studies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) can be a culturally adaptive school-based intervention for youth. Despite the evidence that supports the practical use of SFBT with various populations, its effectiveness particularly among East Asian American (EAA) youth outcomes in school settings requires further study. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched U.S. and East Asian studies (e.g., Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) published from 1995 to 2022 and compared the treatment effects of SFBT on youth outcomes. This study looked at results from 110 studies from the U.S., Chinese, and Korean literatures and revealed stronger treatment effects of SFBT in Chinese and Korean studies compared with U.S. studies. The moderation effects of country showed that the overall treatment effect size was greater among Korean studies compared with U.S. studies. Implications for the use of SFBT among EAA youth are discussed.