Trial reportEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2021
The effectiveness of volunteer befriending for improving the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina - an exploratory randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is befriending a possible intervention in people living with schizophrenia?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Mechanisms through which befriending services may impact the health of older adults: A dyadic qualitative investigation.Journal of health psychology · 2024Article
- The Impact of Stress from Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychiatric Disorders: An Analysis from the Scientific Literature.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- Is befriending a valuable intervention in schizophrenia? A scoping review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Common patient experiences across three resource-oriented interventions for severe mental illness: a qualitative study in low-resource settings.BMC psychiatry · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsSocial isolation in people living with schizophrenia is associated with poor quality of life and increased symptom severity. Volunteer befriending interventions are a potential strategy for addressing social isolation, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the experiences of volunteer befriending and tested its effectiveness for improving the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
methodsBetween March 2018 and July 2020, we conducted a parallel-group, randomised controlled trial in adults with schizophrenia and poor quality of life at an outpatient clinic in Sarajevo. Patients were randomised to either the intervention, in which they were matched with a volunteer befriender with whom they met fortnightly over the 6-month intervention period, or treatment as usual. The primary outcome was quality of life measured on the Manchester Short Assessment and secondary outcomes were psychiatric symptoms and objective social outcomes. Outcome measurement was conducted by blinded researchers at 6- and 12-months.
resultsIn total, 65 patients were randomised into the intervention (n = 33) and control arms (n = 32) and 55 (85%) completed follow-up assessments at 6 months. Patients in the intervention showed a significantly more favourable quality of life at 6 months (primary outcome; mean difference: 0.7, 95% CI [0.3-1.1], p = 0.003) and 12 months (mean difference: 1.7, 95% CI [1.1-2.3], p < 0.001). They also had significantly lower symptom levels at both follow-ups, and a significantly more favourable objective social situation after 12 months. Participants reported largely positive experiences.
conclusionThe exploratory trial conducted at one site found sustained improvements in quality of life and reductions in psychiatric symptoms. This suggests that volunteer befriending may be a feasible and effective treatment for patients with schizophrenia in resource-limited contexts, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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