Effectiveness of befriending interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open

Volumn 7, Issue 4, 2017, Pages

  Siette, Joyce ^a   Cassidy, Megan ^b   Priebe, Stefan ^b  

^a MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^b QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Befriending; Meta analysis; Randomized controlled trials; Systematic Review

Indexed keywords

ANXIETY; BEFRIENDING; CLINICAL OUTCOME; DEPRESSION; EMOTION; HUMAN; LONELINESS; MENTAL HEALTH; META ANALYSIS; PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOME; PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS; PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE; QUALITY OF LIFE; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TOPIC); REVIEW; SELF ESTEEM; SOCIAL INTERACTION; SOCIAL SUPPORT; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; WELLBEING; DISABLED PERSON; PSYCHOLOGY; SELF CONCEPT;

DISABLED PERSONS; HUMANS; MENTAL HEALTH; QUALITY OF LIFE; SELF CONCEPT; SOCIAL SUPPORT;

EID: 85018749565     PISSN: None     EISSN: 20446055     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014304     Document Type: Review

References (32)

1. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford english dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. http://www. oed. com
2. Varah C. The samaritans in the '80s: to befriend the suicidal and despairing. London: Constable, 1980.
3. Mulvihill J. The unique and valuable support provided by mentoring and befriending. Working with Older People 2011;15:34-7.
4. Thompson R, Valenti E, Siette J, et al. To befriend or to be a friend: a systematic review of the meaning and practice of "befriending" in mental health care. J Ment Health 2016;25:71-7.
5. Mitchell G, Pistrang N. Befriending for mental health problems: processes of helping. Psychol Psychother 2011;84:151-69.
6. Bradshaw T, Haddock G. Is befriending by trained volunteers of value to people suffering from long-term mental illness? J Adv Nurs 1998;27:713-20.
7. Peardon L, Yellowlees D, Pratt R, et al. The use of innovative methods designed to relieve social isolation in patients with chronic heart failure; volunteer befriending, forums and a newsletter. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 2010;9:181-7.
8. Mead N, Lester H, Chew-Graham C, et al. Effects of befriending on depressive symptoms and distress: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry 2010;196:96-101.
9. Higgins JPT, Green S, eds. Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Version 5.1.0 (updated march 2016). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2016. http://handbook. cochrane. org/
10. Dissemination CfRa. Systematic reviews: CRD's Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Health Care (Internet). York, England: University of York, 2009. https://www. york. ac. uk/media/crd/Systematic- Reviews. pdf
11. Higgins JP, Altman DG, Gøtzsche PC, et al. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ 2011;343:d5928.
12. Fakhoury WK, Kaiser W, Roeder-Wanner UU, et al. Subjective evaluation: is there more than one criterion? Schizophr Bull 2002;28:319-27.
13. Anderson K, Laxhman N, Priebe S. Can mental health interventions change social networks? A systematic review. BMC Psychiatry 2015;15:297.
14. Charlesworth G, Shepstone L, Wilson E, et al. Does befriending by trained lay workers improve psychological well-being and quality of life for carers of people with dementia, and at what cost? A randomised controlled trial. Health Technol Assess 2008;12:78.
15. Davidson L, Shahar G, Stayner DA, et al. Supported socialization for people with psychiatric disabilities: lessons from a randomized controlled trial. J Community Psychol 2004;32:453-77.
16. Harris T, Brown GW, Robinson R. Befriending as an intervention for chronic depression among women in an inner city. 1: Randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry 1999;174:219-24.
17. Heller K, Thompson MG, Trueba PE, et al. Peer support telephone dyads for elderly women: was this the wrong intervention? Am J Community Psychol 1991;19:53-74.
18. MacIntyre I, Corradetti P, Roberts J, et al. Pilot study of a visitor volunteer programme for community elderly people receiving home health care. Health Soc Care Community 1999;7:225-32.
19. McNeil JK, LeBlanc EM, Joyner M. The effect of exercise on depressive symptoms in the moderately depressed elderly. Psychol Aging 1991;6:487-8.
20. Mountain GA, Hind D, Gossage-Worrall R, et al. 'Putting Life in Years' (PLINY) telephone friendship groups research study: pilot randomised controlled trial. Trials 2014;15:141.
21. Rantanen T, Äyräväinen I, Eronen J, et al. The effect of an outdoor activities' intervention delivered by older volunteers on the quality of life of older people with severe mobility limitations: a randomized controlled trial. Aging Clin Exp Res 2015;27:161-9.
22. Sheridan AJ, Drennan J, Coughlan B, et al. Improving social functioning and reducing social isolation and loneliness among people with enduring mental illness: Report of a randomised controlled trial of supported socialisation. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2015;61:241-50.
23. White VM, Macvean ML, Grogan S, et al. Can a tailored telephone intervention delivered by volunteers reduce the supportive care needs, anxiety and depression of people with colorectal cancer? A randomised controlled trial. Psychooncology 2012;21:1053-62.
24. Walshe C, Dodd S, Hill M, et al. How effective are volunteers at supporting people in their last year of life? A pragmatic randomised wait-list trial in palliative care (ELSA). BMC Med 2016;14.
25. Coe C, Barlow J. Supporting women with perinatal mental health problems: the role of the voluntary sector. Community Pract 2013;86:23-7.
26. Hughes A, Waldenm S. Befriending: a note of caution. Br J Learn Disabil 1999;27:88-92.
27. McCorkle BH, Rogers ES, Dunn EC, et al. Increasing social support for individuals with serious mental illness: evaluating the compeer model of intentional friendship. Community Ment Health J 2008;44:359-66.
28. Macefield RC, Jacobs M, Korfage IJ, et al. Developing core outcomes sets: methods for identifying and including patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Trials 2014;15:49.
29. McCabe R, Saidi M, Priebe S. Patient-reported outcomes in schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry Suppl 2007;50:s21-8.
30. Mountain G, Gossage-Worrall R, Cattan M, et al. Only available to a selected few? Is it feasible to rely on a volunteer workforce for complex intervention delivery? Health Soc Care Community 2017;25:177-84.
31. Balaam MC. A concept analysis of befriending. J Adv Nurs 2015;71:24-34.
32. Paloutzian RF, Ellison CW. In: Peplau LA, Perlman D, eds. Loneliness, spiritual well-being and the quality of life. New York: Wiley, 1982.