| 1. |
- Hickin, Nisha, et al.
(författare)
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The effectiveness of psychological interventions for loneliness: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical Psychology Review. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0272-7358 .- 1873-7811. ; 88
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic loneliness is associated with a range of mental health difficulties. Previous theory and research indicate that psychological interventions show promise for reducing loneliness, however, there have been no systematic reviews or meta-analyses to ascertain the efficacy of these interventions across the lifespan. The aim of this study was to synthesise, meta-analyse and explore the heterogeneity in RCTs of psychological interventions for loneliness in order to establish their efficacy. Five databases (Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science and CINAHL) were systematically searched in order to identify relevant studies. Included studies were required to be peer-reviewed RCTs examining psychological interventions for loneliness. Two independent coders examined the abstracts of the 3973 studies and 103 full texts, finding 31 studies that met inclusion criteria, 28 of which contained sufficient statistical information to be included in the meta-analysis. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The 31 studies (N = 3959) that were included in the systematic review were conducted with participants from a diverse range of cultures, age groups and populations. The interventions were of mixed quality and were mostly face to face, group-based and delivered weekly. The most common type of intervention was Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). 28 studies (N = 3039) were included in a meta-analysis which found that psychological interventions significantly reduced loneliness compared to control groups, yielding a small to medium effect size (g = 0.43). Subgroup analysis and meta-regressions were conducted in order to explore heterogeneity and found that type of psychological intervention was approaching significance as a moderator of the effectiveness of psychological interventions for loneliness. In conclusion, psychological interventions for loneliness across the lifespan are effective. This finding should inform policy makers, researchers and clinicians going forward, especially in the context of increased loneliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was considerable heterogeneity in the effectiveness of the interventions, suggesting that future research should also explore what works for whom and consider personalising psychological treatment.
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| 2. |
- Roberts, Helen M., et al.
(författare)
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Moving on : multiple transitions for unaccompanied child migrants leaving care in England and Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Social Science Studies. - : Redfame Publishing. - 2324-8033 .- 2324-8041. ; 5:9, s. 25-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the priorities of young people who arrived in England or Sweden as unaccompanied minors and are leaving the care of the state to transition to adult life. Policy and practice for these young people are themselves in transition in Europe, and we aim to contribute to the slender first person qualitative evidence base for those delivering services. Our methods comprised a scoping review of scholarly and grey literature, and group and individual interviews. Despite a commitment in both countries to listening to the voices of young people, we identified few studies representing the voices of unaccompanied care leavers. In both the literature and our interviews, health in a clinical sense was rarely among their priorities. Their accounts focused on the determinants of health, and in particular housing, education, food and employment. In Sweden, where services are universal rather than targeted, the Health and Social Care Board (Socialstyrelsen) notes the paradox of unaccompanied children being surrounded by adult supporters, none of whom takes overall responsibility for the young person and his/her everyday life. Those we spoke to describe the vital role played by foster carers, health and social care professionals and friends that they could rely on. The young people whose narratives appear in the research literature and those in our own sample are working hard to cope with multiple transitions and to manage health in its widest sense, whether by finding the right place to live or attending to their education or training.
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| 3. |
- Roberts, Helen, et al.
(författare)
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Moving on: Transitions out of care for young people with learning disabilities in England and Sweden
- 2018
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Ingår i: British Journal of Learning Disabilities. - : Wiley Online Library. - 1354-4187 .- 1468-3156. ; 46:1, s. 54-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Young people with learning disabilities are frequently underrepresented in research accounts. This study describes the experiences of young people moving from the care system. We scoped the English and Swedish literature for first-hand accounts and interviewed four young people with learning disabilities leaving the English care system. We combined findings from both sources. “Grey” and campaigning literature are more likely than academic studies to include the voices of service users, but even then, the voices tend to be those of professional or family carers. Both the literature and interviews demonstrate young peoples’ awareness and understanding of the social as well as financial benefits of work. Good foster care could be precarious, and young people in unhappy placements lacked direction. Exploitation around a young person's housing and finances could be problems. There was evidence of “threshold” difficulties in accessing services. Despite an NHS commitment to listening to users in the UK, and similar aspirations in Sweden, our search of the literature identified few studies reporting care leavers' with learning disabilities own words. Our data add to the voices of a group frequently silent or silenced. We found evidence of resilience and hope as well as difficulties and frustrations. The accounts in the literature and our interviews provide data on what it can be like to try to operate “the system.” The people we spoke with and those whose accounts we found in the literature were thoughtful and engaging. They provide an important source of knowledge for policy and practice.
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