SynthesisBMJ open2017
Effectiveness of befriending interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A meta-analysis of behaviour change techniques in social interventions targeting improved cognitive function in older adults.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Tackling social disconnection: an umbrella review of RCT-based interventions targeting social isolation and loneliness.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Characteristics, motivations and experiences of volunteer befrienders for people with mental illness: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC psychiatry · 2018Pooled it
- Layperson-Delivered Telephone-Based Behavioral Activation Among Low-Income Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The HEAL-HOA Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Are Daily Well-Being and Emotional Reactivity to Stressors Modifiable in Midlife?: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Social Intelligence Training Program.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2023Trial
- Talking control sessions in people with advanced cancer: a qualitative analysis of sessions.BMC psychology · 2022Trial
- SUpporting wellbeing through PEeR-Befriending (SUPERB) feasibility trial: fidelity of peer-befriending for people with aphasia.BMJ open · 2021Trial
- Peer Mentors for People with Advanced Cancer: Lessons Learnt from Recruiting and Training Peer Mentors for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2021Trial
- The effectiveness of volunteer befriending for improving the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina - an exploratory randomised controlled trial.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2021Trial
- Experiences and outcomes of group volunteer befriending with patients with severe mental illness: an exploratory mixed-methods study in Colombia.BMC psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Effectiveness of a volunteer befriending programme for patients with schizophrenia: randomised controlled trial.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2020Trial
- Peer support to maintain psychological wellbeing in people with advanced cancer: findings from a feasibility study for a randomised controlled trial.BMC palliative care · 2020Trial
- Resource-oriented interventions for patients with severe mental illnesses in low- and middle-income countries: trials in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia and Uganda.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
- Consumer and health professional reflections and feedback on the Help After Leaving hospiTal delirium rehabilitation programme.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Article
- The power of the social: A systematic review and meta-analysis of social interventions in Global Mental Health.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Perceived Companionship Is Associated with Pain Severity but Not Opioid Tapering Among Veterans with Chronic Pain.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Observational
- Is befriending a possible intervention in people living with schizophrenia?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveBefriending is an emotional supportive relationship in which one-to-one companionship is provided on a regular basis by a volunteer. It is commonly and increasingly offered by the voluntary sector for individuals with distressing physical and mental conditions. However, the effectiveness of this intervention on health outcomes is largely unknown. We aim to conduct a systematic review of the benefits of befriending.
designSystematic review.
methodsA systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to identify randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials of befriending for a range of physical and mental health indications including depression, anxiety, mental illness, cancer, physical illness and dementia. Main outcomes included patient-relevant and disease-specific outcomes, such as depression, loneliness, quality of life, self-esteem, social support and well-being.
resultsA total of 14 trials (2411 participants) were included; 7 were judged at low risk of bias. Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with befriending but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials. Befriending was significantly associated with better patient-reported outcomes across primary measures (standardised mean difference 0.18 (95% CI, -0.002 to 0.36, I
conclusionsThere was moderate quality evidence to support the use of befriending for the treatment of individuals with different physical and mental health conditions. This evidence refers to an overall improvement benefit in patient-reported primary outcomes, although with a rather small effect size. The current evidence base does not allow for firm conclusions on more specific outcomes. Future trials should hypothesise a model for the precise effects of befriending and use specified inclusion and outcome criteria.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.