Background
Methods
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
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Exclusion criteria
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Peer-reviewed journal articles or dissertations. | Studies that do not report primary data |
Studies reporting primary data on the implementation of interventions which are designed to improve the quantity and/or quality of social networks and/or related community-level social network properties. | Studies only available in abstract format. |
Studies including adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health difficulties or self-attribution/non-medical labelling (e.g., stress or emotional distress). In mixed samples, mean age must be 18 years or over and 75% of sample must have primary diagnosis of mental health difficulties (self-report or physician defined). | Studies unavailable to the research team. |
Studies which have a primary aim of improving social network quantity or quality and/or include a measure of social network quantity or quality. | Studies where primary diagnosis is substance misuse, autism, dementia, ADHD, cognitive impairment or spectrum disorders. |
Studies including participants without a primary diagnosis (or self-attribution) of mental health difficulties (or less than 75% of the sample has a primary diagnosis/self-attribution of mental health difficulties). | |
Studies not related to the implementation of interventions which are designed to directly improve the quantity or quality of social networks for people with mental health difficulties (conceptualised as a whole network approach). The following were excluded: 1. Dyadic interventions – couples, individual friendship interventions (interventions which target multiple friendships can be included), family level only. 2. Individual level intervention – e.g., intervention which aims to improve individual social skills, social cognitions, confidence in social interaction, perceptions about social interaction, social interaction intentions, employment skills. 3. Pharmacological interventions | |
Studies which only report on social functioning or social support without reference to the quantity or quality of social networks. |
Search strategy
Data extraction
Quality appraisal
Data synthesis
Results
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Psychosis and/or schizophrenia (n = 12).
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Serious and/or long-term mental health difficulties (n = 10).
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Depression (n = 4).
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Mild to moderate mental health difficulties (n = 2).
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DSM AXIS 1 disorders (e.g. anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder) (n = 2).
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Psychotic and affective disorders (n = 1).
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Eating disorder (n = 1).
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PTSD and depression (n = 1).
Quality assessment
Type of study | Average number of quality criteria met (out of 5) | Main methodological weaknesses. |
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Randomised controlled trials | 3 (ranging from 0–5) | • Lack of detail on whether participants adhered to the assigned intervention. • Lack of blinding of outcomes assessors or lack of detail about blinding of outcome assessors. • Lack of detail on randomisation. |
Other quantitative studies | 3 (ranging from 1–4) | • Lack of detail on whether the intervention was delivered as intended. • Lack of detail on how confounders were accounted for. • Lack of detail on the representativeness of the participants. |
Qualitative studies | 5 (ranging from 3–5) | • Coherence between qualitative data sources, collection, analysis and interpretation |
Mixed methods studies | 2 (ranging from 0–5) | • Lack of detail on how divergences and inconsistencies between quantitative and qualitative data were assessed. • Lack of adherence or lack of detail about adherence to the quality criteria of each tradition. • Lack of detail on the rationale for the use of a mixed methods approach. |
Review question 1: what type of social network interventions work best and for whom?
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Living with a spouse or partner [43].
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Completing A-levels [57].
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Fewer negative symptoms [57].
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Larger network at baseline [57].
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Better baseline functioning [63].
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Greater distress from positive symptoms [51].
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Longer duration of illness [51].
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People who demonstrated improvement in other outcomes [56].
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Having a better clinical prognosis [56].
What are the optimal conditions for the implementation of social network interventions?
Barriers | Facilitators |
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Socioeconomic
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Socioeconomic
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• Lack of personal resources (Felton et al., 2009; Chowdhary, 2016) • Lack of transport (Felton et al., 2009; Chowdhary, 2016; Margrove et al., 2013) • Living in low socioeconomic areas (Hassan et al., 2020) • Financial burden of prioritising living costs (Mathias, 2019) | |
Social Support
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Social Support
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• Lack of someone to attend with (Sheridan, 2018) • Lack of familial support (Mathias, 2019) | |
Psychological
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Psychological
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• Social anxiety (Lund, 2019; Hanly et al., 2020; Howarth et al., 2018; Margrove, 2013) • Anxiety about end of programme activities (Darongkamas, 2011) • Previous negative experiences (Lund, 2019; Sexton, 1992) • No previous experience of group activities (Lund, 2019) • Reduced social skills (Snethen et al., 2012) • Lack of readiness for change/ engagement (Kaltman, 2016) • Amotivation (Snethen et al., 2012; Kaltman, 2016) • Stressful life events during intervention period (Van de Venter, 2014) | |
Health-Related
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Health-Related
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• Poor physical health (Hanlon, 2019; Chowdhary, 2016) • Fatigue (Mathias, 2019) • Severity of mental health at baseline (O’Connell, 2020; Aggar, 2021) | |
Time
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Time
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• Competing commitments (e.g. work, caring) (Sheridan, 2018; Hanly et al., 2020; Chowdhary, 2016; Margrove et al., 2013) | |
Cultural
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• Familial expectations (Mathias, 2019) • Social hierarchy (Mathias, 2019) • Language barriers (Van de Venter, 2014) • Literacy barriers (Chowdhary, 2016) |
Barriers | Facilitators |
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Socioeconomic
• Lack of funding for programme/staff/training (Bertotti, 2013) • Lack of perceived safety in local area (Sheridan, 2018) |
Socioeconomic
• Use of existing, acceptable community resources such as allotment groups – widely available and inexpensive (Fieldhouse, 2003) • Providing financial support (small social stipend) (Sheridan, 2015; 2018) • An all-encompassing hub, which facilitated ease of access to many meaningful avenues of support and other resources (e.g. computers, library, social spaces/activities, advice, cafe) without additional financial cost. (Hassan et al., 2020) |
Social Support
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Social Support
• Provide someone to support engagement with activities in the early stages (Snethen, 2012; Sheridan, 2015; Rivera, 2007) |
Psychological
• Stigma/prejudice and lack of understanding of mental health problems within intervention settings (Mathias, 2019; Lund, 2019) • Anxiety about end of programme activities (Darongkamas, 2011) |
Psychological
• Flexible approach to opportunities provided (O’Brien, 2011) • Allow people to go at own page during activities (O’Brien, 2011) • Use of humour in delivery (Lund, 2019) • Provide someone to support engagement with community activities (Sheridan, 2018) • Individual sessions with facilitators to promote engagement (Kaltman, 2016) |
Health-Related
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Health-Related
• Flexible approach to opportunities provided (O’Brien, 2011) • Access barriers tackled by changing delivery/format (home visits and home work rather than attending health care facility or via telephone) (Chowdhary, 2016) |
Organisational
• Limited scope of programme (Hanlon, 2019; • Staff resistance to programme or research methods (Hacking, 2008) • Lack of infrastructure/funding (Bertotti et al., 2018; (Webber et al., 2021) • Lack of training (Chowdhary 2016; Hanly, 2020; Bradshaw, 1998) |
Organisational
• Safe, non-judgemental space, everybody equal, no barriers (Abotsie, 2021) • Environment that expects and structures social interactions without pressure ’ (Hacking, 2008) • Structured support for real world activities (Rivera, 2007) |
Time
• Lack of time for staff to implement programme fully (Webber et al., 2021; • Sessions/programme not felt to be long enough for benefit (Kaltman, 2016); • Study too short to show true results (Kaltman, 2016; Rivera, 2007) |
Time
• Flexible approach to opportunities provided (O’Brien, 2011) |
Cultural
• Inappropriate Programme content (Mathias, 2109) • For research, lack of ethnic diversity impacted results (Van de Venter, 2014) |
Cultural
• Literacy barriers addressed with use of icons, visual aids, staff training on literacy issues, and familiar, accessible language (Chowdhary, 2016) |
Gender
• Lack of gender inclusion both to enter groups and within groups (Friedrich, 2018; Van de Venter, 2014 • For research imbalance of gender impacted results (Van de Venter, 2014) |
Gender
• None identified. |
Supporting quotes | Paper reference | |
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Bridging the gap – the fundamental role of facilitation
| You can ask all kinds of stuff and they [the facilitators] were quite nice about it. They were really nice and encouraging to me. And I enjoyed it... And you know they gave us the um, binder and every week they give us different pages for the binder. | Suto, 2020. |
She [the facilitator] spoke to me about all my problems and how I was getting on. All very informal and I can cope with that, but I couldn’t cope with talking to a doctor looking at the time all the time | Hassan, 2020. | |
She was just absolutely wonderful…she was just right…I told her what had happened and that seemed to get it out of my head a bit. All these years it’s just been in my head
| Bertotti, 2018. | |
When you’re actually going tae the doctor because you’re no’ functioning properly day-tae-day, an’ somebody takes a’ the bits that you struggle with, they’re a lifesaver. It’s better than any beta- blocker.
| Hanlon, 2019. | |
t was like she’d come down the mountain a little and throw me a rope, and it would pull me up a little bit every time… then the next time she didn’t have to come as far down the mountain…It was almost like we were getting to a point of meeting in the middle. But the middle wasn’t actually the middle of the mountain, it was closer to her top than to my bottom.
| Hanly, 2020. | |
I think [she was] concerned about my mental health, and my physical health, and my future. How so? I can tell by the way [she] treat[s] me. I think [the facilitaotr] has shown me more concern than most types all the years I’ve been here.
| Snethen, 2012. | |
My voice, my choice, my pace – the need for flexibility and valuing individual differences
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At the beginning you explained everything well and you made me feel that, in a group meeting, it would be my choice if I wanted to share something or not, and that made me feel confident.
| Kaltman, 2016. |
I have come here a few times just to be by myself, to a safe space which is nice because obviously I can come up and get a cup of coffee if I want and sit down and they respect the fact that you want to be on your own
| Hassan, 2020. | |
I have social phobias and agoraphobia… but I decided to continue [with BEL] because I thought it helped me anyway…I have a hard time to drive by myself… the first time I was like, ugh…but it got better and better.
| Lund, 2019. | |
You can come here for say 10 min, 20 min, half an hour and just those few minutes or second or that bit of time you spend with somebody here who’s nice to you can make you feel a bit better but you are in charge of what you are doing. I think it’s really, really important and just that little bit of control can make you feel on top of the world, you can go away thinking I did something really good today.
| Hassan, 2020. | |
You can have your own creation as far as what you grow, and your choices of what you want to grow and what you want to eat and you can experiment with certain things.
| Suto, 2021. | |
At the beginning you explained everything well and you made me feel that, in a group meeting, it would be my choice if I wanted to share something or not, and that made me feel confident
| Kaltman, 2006. | |
Social building blocks – rebuilding or acquiring social resources and skills and making connections with others
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My confidence is ecstatic. The more I work, the more my confidence grows.
| Howarth, 2018. |
Activities means that you’re not locked up, you know? When the door is out there and you can’t get out, you can’t do nothing. That’s a reminder that I can get out and do stuff, not locked behind the door
| Snethen, 2012. | |
I have always loved reading. In the past, I used to read and now I want to start reading books again to feel good…that is what I told my husband and he said, “Do you want to read? You are changing!”
| Kaltman, 2016. | |
I wasn’t one for socialising before – I used to make excuses to stay in, but now I make the effort to go out’. P1 said: ‘It’s helped me get back in contact with friends from the past… It’s encouraged me to meet people.
| Darongkamas, 2011. | |
I have thought more about things I used to do before I became ill.
I feel more able to go out on my own.
| Bradshaw, 1998. | |
The importance of a positive and safe space to support community integration
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No judgment is passed on your capabilities or your mental well-being. I attend as many sessions as I can.
| Abotsie, 2021. |
To be in a group…[I thought it would be] like the worst thing I know. So that I was able to just spontaneously begin talking and discussing with others…. and afterwards think, my God, what am I doing? (laughter) So it was a good group.
| Lund, 2019. | |
It’s a lovely building, big room, lots of light /
It’s not claustrophobic /
The room is just perfect to work in /
You felt you could move around, it was loose and fluid from the beginning /
A very relaxing atmosphere.
| Margrove, 2013 | |
You’ve got, you’ve got to be able to… You’ve got to feel relaxed in your environment and here I think most of us are relaxed from my view anyway, the ones that I talk to…I mean we enjoy each other’s company which is a good thing.
| Friedrich, 2018. | |
But, this group, it was probably the world’s best group I have been in, because we could discuss everything []. You get to know one another; it’s like reading someone’s diary. After only three weeks, you didn’t know each other’s shoe size, but you knew about their childhood… To be in a group where people are kind to each other, that heals the worst ulcer. You feel that no one is going to say something mean… just the opposite, be positive.
| Lund, 2019. | |
“It’s just such a safe place because, even if I am not in a good mood, I get out and at least go to the Life Rooms
| Hassan, 2020. | |
The need for available, accessible and sustainable activities
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How can they act together when they are all working so hard? They are so busy at the brick kiln: we wake them at midnight to go to make bricks and they return 11am and are so tired that they just want to sleep. Who will they speak with, they don’t even want to eat, just sleep.
| Mathias, 2019 |
“[in other services] you would have to fill in loads of forms or you would have to apply online or you would have to get some type of funding, but since I have been here, I have done loads of stuff and I have never been asked for a penny.
| Hassan, 2020. | |
I very much appreciate the money [stipend to support acces]. I was able to socialise with cups of coffee meeting people and chatting.
| Sheridan, 2018. | |
One day one of my friends also came with me to the group. The next day he told me that when he went back (home) after the group, people teased him and called him names. They said that the boys in the group were not considered to be good boys and due to this problem, he couldn’t continue in the group.
| Mathias, 2019. | |
I’m worried about the club folding, it makes me anxious.
| Darongkamas, 2011. |