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Reproductive Health Jul 2021Pregnancy is a time of profound physical and emotional change as well as an increased risk of mental illness. While strengthening social support is a common... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Pregnancy is a time of profound physical and emotional change as well as an increased risk of mental illness. While strengthening social support is a common recommendation to reduce such mental health risk, no systematic review or meta-analysis has yet examined the relationship between social support and mental problems during pregnancy.
METHODS
The PRISMA checklist was used as a guide to systematically review relevant peer-reviewed literature reporting primary data analyses. PubMed, Psych Info, MIDIRS, SCOPUS, and CINAHL database searches were conducted to retrieve research articles published between the years 2000 to 2019. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tool was used for quality appraisal and the meta-analysis was conducted using STATA. The Q and the I statistics were used to evaluate heterogeneity. A random-effects model was used to pool estimates. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and Egger's regression test and adjusted using trim and Fill analysis.
RESULT
From the identified 3760 articles, 67 articles with 64,449 pregnant women were part of the current systematic review and meta-analysis. From the total 67 articles, 22 and 45 articles included in the narrative analysis and meta-analysis, respectively. From the total articles included in the narrative analysis, 20 articles reported a significant relationship between low social support and the risk of developing mental health problems (i.e. depression, anxiety, and self-harm) during pregnancy. After adjusting for publication bias, based on the results of the random-effect model, the pooled odds ratio (POR) of low social support was AOR: 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.41) for studies examining the relationship between low social support and antenatal depression and AOR: 1.97 (95% CI: 1.34, 2.92) for studies examining the relationship between low social support and antenatal anxiety.
CONCLUSION
Low social support shows significant associations with the risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm during pregnancy. Policy-makers and those working on maternity care should consider the development of targeted social support programs with a view to helping reduce mental health problems amongst pregnant women.
Topics: Anxiety; Female; Humans; Maternal Health Services; Mental Health; Pregnancy; Pregnant Women; Social Support
PubMed: 34321040
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-021-01209-5 -
Psycho-oncology Aug 2021Social support is essential in healthy adjustment to life stressors. This scoping review examines how social support has been conceptualized, operationalized, and... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Social support is essential in healthy adjustment to life stressors. This scoping review examines how social support has been conceptualized, operationalized, and studied among siblings of children with cancer. Gaps in the current literature are identified, and future research directions are proposed.
METHODS
A rigorous systematic scoping review framework guided our process. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for literature regarding social support and siblings of children with cancer. After screening, 57 articles were identified (n = 26 quantitative, n = 21 qualitative, and n = 10 multi-method) and their content extracted for summarization.
RESULTS
The majority of studies (n = 43, 75.4%) were descriptive; 14 (24.6%) included interventions, and of those, four were experimental. Few studies used a clearly defined theoretical framework, or validated tools to measure social support. Studies explored perceived social support needs of siblings, the provision and availability of formal support through interventions and related outcomes, and informal family social supports. A variety of support types were found to be helpful to siblings in different ways.
CONCLUSIONS
Social support is a prevalent topic in the literature regarding siblings of children with cancer. It is unclear what types of support are most important due to how it has been conceptualized and measured. Despite some methodological limitations, greater levels of social support have been linked to better adaptation among siblings of children with cancer. Future work is warranted to identify the most beneficial types of support for siblings based on their age, developmental stage, and the cancer trajectory.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Child; Humans; Neoplasms; Siblings; Social Support
PubMed: 33851490
DOI: 10.1002/pon.5689 -
Acta Psychologica Jul 2022The loneliness of modern people is becoming more and more prominent, and has brought profoundly negative effects on mental health. Social support is an important... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The loneliness of modern people is becoming more and more prominent, and has brought profoundly negative effects on mental health. Social support is an important predictor of loneliness. However, the size of the correlation reported by studies on the relation between social support and loneliness varies greatly. The aim of this meta-analysis is to determine the relation between social support and loneliness. One hundred and seventy-seven articles (N = 113,427) were identified, and robust variance estimation with random effects were used. As expected, higher levels of social support were negatively correlated with loneliness (r = -0.39). The association between social support and loneliness were also moderated by several variables. Specifically, the negative relationship between loneliness and social support among rural populations is stronger than that of urban populations in Chinese samples, the effect of perceived social support (r = -0.45) on loneliness is greater than that of other social supports (r = -0.36), and the friend support (r = -0.48) played a more important role in reducing loneliness than that of two other supports (family support: r = -0.34; significant other support: r = -0.40). The current results support robust links between social support and loneliness, emphasizing the important role of social support in reducing levels of loneliness, this may have some implications for future research and loneliness treatments.
Topics: Asian People; Humans; Loneliness; Social Support
PubMed: 35576818
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103616 -
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer... 2012Social support is regarded as a complex construct which has long been suggested to have direct and buffering effects on patients' wellbeing and emotional adjustment to... (Review)
Review
Social support is regarded as a complex construct which has long been suggested to have direct and buffering effects on patients' wellbeing and emotional adjustment to cancer. Cross-sectional and prospective studies show a positive association between perceived social support and psychological adjustment following cancer treatment. Research findings suggest that the evidence for the relationship between social support and cancer progression is sufficiently strong. This report points out the importance of social support in cancer and provides recommendations for health care professionals.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Humans; Neoplasms; Social Support
PubMed: 23098436
DOI: 10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.8.3569 -
Annual Review of Public Health Apr 2022There is growing interest in and renewed support for prioritizing social factors in public health both in the USA and globally. While there are multiple widely... (Review)
Review
There is growing interest in and renewed support for prioritizing social factors in public health both in the USA and globally. While there are multiple widely recognized social determinants of health, indicators of social connectedness (e.g., social capital, social support, social isolation, loneliness) are often noticeably absent from the discourse. This article provides an organizing framework for conceptualizing social connection and summarizes the cumulative evidence supporting its relevance for health, including epidemiological associations, pathways, and biological mechanisms. This evidence points to several implications for prioritizing social connection within solutions across sectors, where public health work, initiatives, and research play a key role in addressing gaps. Therefore, this review proposes a systemic framework for cross-sector action to identify missed opportunities and guide future investigation, intervention, practice, and policy on promoting social connection and health for all
Topics: Humans; Public Health; Social Determinants of Health; Social Factors; Social Support
PubMed: 35021021
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2022Postpartum depression is common; however, little is known about its relationship to social support and postpartum depression. This study examined the association between...
Postpartum depression is common; however, little is known about its relationship to social support and postpartum depression. This study examined the association between them among South Korean women within one year of childbirth. This study was based on the 2016 Korean Study of Women's Health-Related Issues (K-Stori), a cross-sectional survey employing nationally-representative random sampling. Participants were 1,654 postpartum women within a year of giving birth. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to analyze the associations between social support (and other covariates) and postpartum depression. Among participants, 266 (16.1%) had postpartum depression. Depending on the level of social support, 6.0%, 53.9%, and 40.1% of them had low, moderate, and high social support, respectively. Women with moderate or low social support were more likely to have postpartum depression (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.26-2.53; OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.56-4.89). This trend was observed in participants with multiparity, pregnancy loss, obese body image, and employed women. Social support was associated with a decreased likelihood of postpartum depression, indicating the importance of social support, especially for women experiencing multiparity, pregnancy loss, negative body image, as well as for employed women.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Delivery, Obstetric; Depression; Depression, Postpartum; Female; Humans; Parity; Parturition; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Republic of Korea; Risk Factors; Social Support; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35210553
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07248-7 -
Systematic Reviews Dec 2017Social relationships, which are contingent on access to social networks, promote engagement in social activities and provide access to social support. These social... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Social relationships, which are contingent on access to social networks, promote engagement in social activities and provide access to social support. These social factors have been shown to positively impact health outcomes. In the current systematic review, we offer a comprehensive overview of the impact of social activities, social networks and social support on the cognitive functioning of healthy older adults (50+) and examine the differential effects of aspects of social relationships on various cognitive domains.
METHODS
We followed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines, and collated data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs), genetic and observational studies. Independent variables of interest included subjective measures of social activities, social networks, and social support, and composite measures of social relationships (CMSR). The primary outcome of interest was cognitive function divided into domains of episodic memory, semantic memory, overall memory ability, working memory, verbal fluency, reasoning, attention, processing speed, visuospatial abilities, overall executive functioning and global cognition.
RESULTS
Thirty-nine studies were included in the review; three RCTs, 34 observational studies, and two genetic studies. Evidence suggests a relationship between (1) social activity and global cognition and overall executive functioning, working memory, visuospatial abilities and processing speed but not episodic memory, verbal fluency, reasoning or attention; (2) social networks and global cognition but not episodic memory, attention or processing speed; (3) social support and global cognition and episodic memory but not attention or processing speed; and (4) CMSR and episodic memory and verbal fluency but not global cognition.
CONCLUSIONS
The results support prior conclusions that there is an association between social relationships and cognitive function but the exact nature of this association remains unclear. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research provided.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO 2012: CRD42012003248 .
Topics: Cognition; Executive Function; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Memory; Social Participation; Social Support
PubMed: 29258596
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-017-0632-2 -
International Journal of Environmental... Mar 2021Health inequalities are differences in health experiences and outcomes which arise through the everyday circumstances of people's lives and the appropriateness of the...
Health inequalities are differences in health experiences and outcomes which arise through the everyday circumstances of people's lives and the appropriateness of the systems put in place to support them [...].
Topics: Humans; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 33807202
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073612 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Nov 2023The importance of nature for human health has received increasing attention in recent years and is at the focus of this review. Research has shown benefits for physical,... (Review)
Review
The importance of nature for human health has received increasing attention in recent years and is at the focus of this review. Research has shown benefits for physical, mental, and social health as well as for the climate. Nature-based health interventions have already been partly implemented in social care and in the healthcare system. However, more research is needed to support the systematic development and evaluation of nature-based interventions. We need to identify which interventions are most effective for whom, with the goal of providing evidence-based, sustainable, and climate-friendly health improvements.
Topics: Humans; Delivery of Health Care; Social Support
PubMed: 37987433
DOI: No ID Found -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Mar 2023High-prevalence rates and increased morbidity suggest that loneliness is a major public health concern warranting novel health-care strategies and interventions... (Review)
Review
High-prevalence rates and increased morbidity suggest that loneliness is a major public health concern warranting novel health-care strategies and interventions promoting social connectedness. Social prescribing (SP) constitutes such strategy and is, despite scarce evidence, increasingly promoted. Focusing primarily on building and maintaining social support, SP appears especially relevant in connection to community-based physical activity. In this review, we introduce and discuss the adaptation of SP in the context of the Danish healthcare system and provide examples of current research initiatives.
Topics: Humans; Loneliness; Social Support; Exercise
PubMed: 36999284
DOI: No ID Found