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Frontiers in Psychology 2023Chronic pain frequently co-occurs with clinically relevant psychological distress. A systematic review was conducted to identify the efficacy of cognitive behavioral...
OBJECTIVE
Chronic pain frequently co-occurs with clinically relevant psychological distress. A systematic review was conducted to identify the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy-based interventions for patients with these comorbid conditions.
METHODS
The systematic search was carried out in Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus up to March 18th, 2023. Four reviewers independently conducted screenings, extraction, and quality assessment.
RESULTS
Twelve randomized controlled trials and one non-randomized controlled trial involving 1,661 participants that examined the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (nine studies), Mindfulness-based Interventions (three studies), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (one study), and Behavioral Activation Therapy for Depression (one study) were included. Compared to treatment as usual, six out of eight studies of traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reported significant differences in the reduction of depressive symptoms at post-treatment ( from 1.31 to 0.18) and four out of six at follow-up ( from 0.75 to 0.26); similarly, five out of six reported significant differences in the reduction of anxiety symptoms at post-treatment ( from 1.08 to 0.19) and three out of four at follow-up ( from 1.07 to 0.27). Overall, no significant differences between traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and treatment as usual were reported at post-treatment and follow-up in the studies exploring pain intensity and pain catastrophizing.
CONCLUSION
The available evidence suggests that traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may produce significant benefits for the improvement of depression, anxiety, and quality of life, but not for pain intensity and pain catastrophizing. More evidence is needed to determine the effects of MBI, ACT, and BATD.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO, CRD42021219921.
PubMed: 38187407
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1200685 -
Women's Health (London, England) 2023Sexual minority individuals experience discrimination, leading to mental health disparities. Physical health disparities have not been examined to the same extent in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Sexual minority individuals experience discrimination, leading to mental health disparities. Physical health disparities have not been examined to the same extent in systematic reviews so far.
OBJECTIVES
To provide a systematic review and, where possible, meta-analyses on the prevalence of physical health conditions in sexual minority women (i.e. lesbian- and bisexual-identified women) compared to heterosexual-identified women.
DESIGN
The study design is a systematic review with meta-analyses.
DATA SOURCES AND METHODS
A systematic literature search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases was conducted on epidemiologic studies on physical health conditions, classified in the Global Burden of Disease project, published between 2000 and 2021. Meta-analyses pooling odds ratios were calculated.
RESULTS
In total, 23,649 abstracts were screened and 44 studies were included in the systematic review. Meta-analyses were run for arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, chronic kidney diseases, diabetes, headache disorders, heart attacks, hepatitis, hypertension, and stroke. Most significant differences in prevalence by sexual identity were found for chronic respiratory conditions, especially asthma. Overall, sexual minority women were significantly 1.5-2 times more likely to have asthma than heterosexual women. Furthermore, evidence of higher prevalence in sexual minority compared to heterosexual women was found for back pain, headaches/migraines, hepatitis B/C, periodontitis, urinary tract infections, and acne. In contrast, bisexual women had lower cancer rates. Overall, sexual minority women had lower odds of heart attacks, diabetes, and hypertension than heterosexual women (in terms of diabetes and hypertension possibly due to non-consideration of pregnancy-related conditions).
CONCLUSION
We found evidence for physical health disparities by sexual identity. Since some of these findings rely on few comparisons only, this review emphasizes the need for routinely including sexual identity assessment in health research and clinical practice. Providing a more detailed picture of the prevalence of physical health conditions in sexual minority women may ultimately contribute to reducing health disparities.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Heterosexuality; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Diabetes Mellitus; Hypertension; Asthma; Myocardial Infarction
PubMed: 38146632
DOI: 10.1177/17455057231219610 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2023This study aimed to determine, through a systematic review, the relationship between Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and the presence of psychopathology in children... (Review)
Review
This study aimed to determine, through a systematic review, the relationship between Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and the presence of psychopathology in children and adolescents, and to determine the existence of differences in terms of internalising and externalising psychological problems between the RAD group and groups with other disorders or with typical development. Following the PRISMA methodology, a search was carried out in the Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases. The search yielded 770 results, of which only 25 met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate a relationship between the presence of RAD and/or disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED), with the presence of internalising and externalising problems. These difficulties are more present in children with RAD compared to children without personal difficulties, or children with DSED, children with autism, children with intellectual disabilities or children with hyperactivity. It can be concluded that the presence of RAD has negative consequences on the mental health of children and adolescents, with these being greater in the inhibited group than in the disinhibited group, and with respect to children with autism or hyperactivity.
PubMed: 38136094
DOI: 10.3390/children10121892 -
BMJ Open Dec 2023Social prescribing (SP) is a non-medical intervention in which professionals refer patients to a link worker (LW), who connects them with appropriate support. Children...
OBJECTIVES
Social prescribing (SP) is a non-medical intervention in which professionals refer patients to a link worker (LW), who connects them with appropriate support. Children and young people (CYP) with neurodisability often have unmet needs and may bypass community initiatives. We undertook a review of hospital-initiated SP for CYP with neurodisability.
DESIGN
Systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance and using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
DATA SOURCES
Medline, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and FutureNHS, searched from 1 January 2000 to 19 October 2023, with no language restrictions.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Studies describing SP interventions for CYP (ages 0-25 years) with neurodisability/neurodivergence.
EXCLUSIONS
interventions outside of secondary care; with no description; or no LW.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Two researchers independently screened references. Data were charted, summarised, quality assessments performed and narratively reviewed.
RESULTS
After removal of duplicates, 518 references were identified. Following screening, eight articles (covering five SP schemes) were included. Rahi connected 68 families of CYP newly diagnosed with visual impairment to a community LW. Families needed information about social and educational services, and emotional support. Healthcare professionals had more time for clinical issues. Six papers described three different digital interventions supporting in total 86 CYP with traumatic brain injury and their families. Wade (2004, 2005a, 2005b) provided a website with core and individualised sessions, and weekly therapist support. Wade (2018) provided a smartphone application, website and weekly meetings with an online coach. These interventions boosted social behaviours. Wade (2014, 2015) found that online family problem-solving therapy improved overall child functioning compared with self-guided resources. Toutain (2009) provided non-medical support to 11 children with fetal alcohol syndrome and their mothers. No outcome data were provided. Studies reported benefits to health, well-being, healthcare usage, knowledge, skills, satisfaction and service delivery.
CONCLUSION
Literature describing hospital-initiated SP schemes for CYP with neurodisability, while sparse, suggests potential benefit.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42022384188.
Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Adolescent; Health Personnel; Mothers; Psychotherapy; Hospitals
PubMed: 38135327
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078097 -
Obesity Reviews : An Official Journal... Feb 2024Multimorbidity-the coexistence of at least two chronic health conditions within the same individual-is an important global health challenge. In high-income countries... (Review)
Review
Multimorbidity-the coexistence of at least two chronic health conditions within the same individual-is an important global health challenge. In high-income countries (HICs), multimorbidity is dominated by non-communicable diseases (NCDs); whereas, the situation may be different in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where chronic communicable diseases remain prominent. The aim of this systematic review was to identify determinants (including risk and protective factors) and potential mechanisms underlying multimorbidity from published longitudinal studies across diverse population-based or community-dwelling populations in LMICs. We systematically searched three electronic databases (Medline, Embase, and Global Health) using pre-defined search terms and selection criteria, complemented by hand-searching. All titles, abstracts, and full texts were independently screened by two reviewers from a pool of four researchers. Data extraction and reporting were according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Methodological quality and risk of bias assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies. Data were summarized using narrative synthesis. The search yielded 1782 records. Of the 52 full-text articles included for review, 8 longitudinal population-based studies were included for final data synthesis. Almost all studies were conducted in Asia, with only one from South America and none from Africa. All studies were published in the last decade, with half published in the year 2021. The definitions used for multimorbidity were heterogeneous, including 3-16 chronic conditions per study. The leading chronic conditions were heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and there was a lack of consideration of mental health conditions (MHCs), infectious diseases, and undernutrition. Prospectively evaluated determinants included socio-economic status, markers of social inequities, childhood adversity, lifestyle behaviors, obesity, dyslipidemia, and disability. This review revealed a paucity of evidence from LMICs and a geographical bias in the distribution of multimorbidity research. Longitudinal research into epidemiological aspects of multimorbidity is warranted to build up scientific evidence in regions beyond Asia. Such evidence can provide a detailed picture of disease development, with important implications for community, clinical, and interventions in LMICs. The heterogeneity in study designs, exposures, outcomes, and statistical methods observed in the present review calls for greater methodological standardisation while conducting epidemiological studies on multimorbidity. The limited evidence for MHCs, infectious diseases, and undernutrition as components of multimorbidity calls for a more comprehensive definition of multimorbidity globally.
Topics: Humans; Multimorbidity; Developing Countries; Evidence Gaps; Longitudinal Studies; Malnutrition; Chronic Disease; Communicable Diseases
PubMed: 38105610
DOI: 10.1111/obr.13661 -
PloS One 2023Children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, developmental language disorder (DLD), intellectual... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
RATIONALE
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, developmental language disorder (DLD), intellectual disability (ID), and social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD) experience difficulties with social functioning due to differences in their social, emotional and cognitive skills. Previous systematic reviews have focussed on specific aspects of social functioning rather than broader peer functioning and friendships.
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review and methodologically appraise the quality and effectiveness of existing intervention studies that measured friendship outcomes for children with ADHD, autism, DLD, ID, and SPCD.
METHOD
Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched five electronic databases: CINAHL, Embase, Eric, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Two independent researchers screened all abstracts and disagreements were discussed with a third researcher to reach consensus. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomised Trials.
RESULTS
Twelve studies involving 15 interventions were included. Studies included 683 children with a neurodevelopmental disorder and 190 typically-developing children and diagnosed with either autism or ADHD. Within-group meta-analysis showed that the pooled intervention effects for friendship across all interventions were small to moderate (z = 2.761, p = 0.006, g = 0.485). The pooled intervention effect between intervention and comparison groups was not significant (z = 1.206, p = 0.400, g = 0.215).
CONCLUSION
Findings provide evidence that some individual interventions are effective in improving social functioning and fostering more meaningful friendships between children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their peers. Effective interventions involved educators, targeted child characteristics known to moderate peer functioning, actively involved peers, and incorporated techniques to facilitate positive peer perceptions and strategies to support peers. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of friendship interventions for children with DLD, ID and SPCD, more comprehensively assess peer functioning, include child self-report measures of friendship, and longitudinally evaluate downstream effects on friendship.
Topics: Child; Humans; Friends; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Peer Group; Social Adjustment; Neurodevelopmental Disorders
PubMed: 38096327
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295917 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Emerging adulthood is a unique and sensitive life period during which most psychiatric conditions emerge. Development of life skills and transfer of these skills between...
UNLABELLED
Emerging adulthood is a unique and sensitive life period during which most psychiatric conditions emerge. Development of life skills and transfer of these skills between contexts may be considered essential for transitioning from emerging adulthood to young adulthood. In the present scoping review of 83 articles published between 2010 and 2022, we address the state of research on life skills development and transfer in emerging adults aged 18-30. Specifically, we were interested in how life skills are defined, which specific life skills are proposed and how life skills transfer is conceptualized for this age group, with an emphasis on cognitive, personal, and interpersonal components. The results show that only a small minority of the reviewed studies defined the term life skills and an even smaller number mentioned the concept of life skills transfer, with only one study actually mentioning transfer components. Life skills research for emerging adults strongly focuses on vulnerable populations (e.g., developmental and contextual vulnerabilities, and sexually transmittable infections treatment and prevention) with the five most frequently mentioned life skills being budgeting/ finances, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional regulation. We discuss these results in light of future research directions and the lessons learned for life skills development and transfer research in emerging adults.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
All analyzed articles are available at: https://osf.io/gmk8w/.
PubMed: 38046121
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275094 -
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2023The combination of stressors unique to the athletic context plus the sensitive developmental phase that elite athletes go through during their peak performance may... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The combination of stressors unique to the athletic context plus the sensitive developmental phase that elite athletes go through during their peak performance may increase the athletes' vulnerability to mental health decrements. To emphasize the necessity to raise elite athletes' awareness of health risks, it seems to be essential to teach them coping skills to handle stress and to make affected athletes aware of how to recognize, evaluate, and articulate potential risks to their health.
OBJECTIVE
This systematic review analyzes coping strategies used by elite athletes to deal with stress and the effect of these strategies on mental health to identify gaps that future research could prioritize.
METHODS
The current review analyzes studies containing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed data and results, all of them focusing on coping strategies to deal with stress and the effect of coping strategies on elite athletes' mental health. Literature search for this systematic review took place between August and October 2023 and included the use of 3 electronic databases: PubMed, PsychINFO, SPORTdiscus.
RESULTS
There were initially 5,705 hits from 3 electronic databases, hand search and from a complementary search in Google Scholar. After the screening process and quality appraisal 30 studies were included. The analyzed study results point to a broad spectrum of coping categories, elite athletes make use of to deal with stressful situations. The results of this review underpin the necessity that especially young athletes being confronted with a wide range of stressors, need to be taught mental skills to cope with these stressors. In addition, teaching coaches and teammates about social support seemed to decrease elite athletes' stress reactions, such as anxiety or depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSION
Coping in elite sporting settings is very complex and dynamic. There is evidence of coping being effective to buffer stress, but the interrelationships between stressor, appraisal of the stressor, application of a corresponding coping strategy and its effect especially in terms of mental health outcomes is still unclear because of lacking intervention-based study designs.
PubMed: 38033656
DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1265783 -
Global Mental Health (Cambridge,... 2023In low-resource settings, e-mental health may substantially increase access to evidence-based interventions for common mental disorders. We conducted a systematic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
In low-resource settings, e-mental health may substantially increase access to evidence-based interventions for common mental disorders. We conducted a systematic literature search to identify randomised trials examining the effects of digital interventions with or without therapeutic guidance compared to control conditions in individuals with anxiety and/or depression symptoms in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
METHODS
The main outcome was the reduction in symptoms at the post-test. Secondary outcomes included improvements in quality of life and longer-term effects (≥20 weeks post-randomisation). The effect size Hedges' was calculated using the random effects model.
RESULTS
A total of 21 studies (23 comparisons) with 5.296 participants were included. Digital interventions were more effective than controls in reducing symptoms of common mental disorders at the post-test ( = -0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.26 to -0.52, < 0.001; NNT = 2.91). These significant effects were confirmed when examining depressive ( = -0.77, 95% CI -1.11; -0.44) and anxiety symptoms separately ( = -1.02, 95% CI -1.53 to -0.52) and across all other sensitivity analyses. Digital interventions also resulted in a small but significant effect in improving quality of life ( = 0.32, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.45) at the post-test. Over the longer term, the effects were smaller but remained significant for all examined outcomes. Heterogeneity was moderate to high in all analyses. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses did not result in significant outcomes in any of the examined variables (e.g., guided vs. unguided interventions).
CONCLUSIONS
Digital interventions, with or without guidance, may effectively bridge the gap between treatment supply and demand in LMICs. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to draw firm conclusions regarding the magnitude of the effects of digital interventions.
PubMed: 38024798
DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2023.50 -
BMC Medicine Nov 2023Prior reviews synthesized findings of studies on long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19. However, the reporting and methodological quality of these studies has not... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION
Prior reviews synthesized findings of studies on long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19. However, the reporting and methodological quality of these studies has not been systematically evaluated. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19 and examined patterns of reported findings by study quality and characteristics.
METHODS
We searched for studies examining long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19 that persisted for 4 weeks and over. A customized Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. Meta-analysis was performed to generate prevalence estimates of long-term cardiac complications across studies. Stratified analyses were further conducted to examine the prevalence of each complication by study quality and characteristics. The GRADE approach was used to determine the level of evidence for complications included in the meta-analysis.
RESULTS
A total number of 150 studies describing 57 long-term cardiac complications were included in this review, and 137 studies reporting 17 complications were included in the meta-analysis. Only 25.3% (n = 38) of studies were of high quality based on the NOS quality assessment. Chest pain and arrhythmia were the most widely examined long-term complications. When disregarding study quality and characteristics, summary prevalence estimates for chest and arrhythmia were 9.79% (95% CI 7.24-13.11) and 8.22% (95% CI 6.46-10.40), respectively. However, stratified analyses showed that studies with low-quality scores, small sample sizes, unsystematic sampling methods, and cross-sectional design were more likely to report a higher prevalence of complications. For example, the prevalence of chest pain was 22.17% (95% CI 14.40-32.55), 11.08% (95% CI 8.65-14.09), and 3.89% (95% CI 2.49-6.03) in studies of low, medium, and high quality, respectively. Similar patterns were observed for arrhythmia and other less examined long-term cardiac complications.
CONCLUSION
There is a wide spectrum of long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19. Reported findings from previous studies are strongly related to study quality, sample sizes, sampling methods, and designs, underscoring the need for high-quality epidemiologic studies to characterize these complications and understand their etiology.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Chest Pain
PubMed: 38017426
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03162-5