Trial reportJournal of intellectual disability research : JIDR2021
A pilot randomised controlled trial of befriending by volunteers in people with intellectual disability and depressive symptoms.
Trial report in Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of Loneliness and Social Isolation Interventions in Obesity and Obesity-Related Complications.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Loneliness and Its Associated Factors in Individuals With Intellectual Disability and Borderline Intellectual Functioning: A Systematic Review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID · 2026Pooled it
- Targeted interventions to improve the social and economic circumstances of people with mental ill-health from marginalised communities: a systematic review.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Adapting Psychological Therapies for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyPooled it
- Trial
- A pilot randomised controlled trial of befriending by volunteers in people with intellectual disability and depressive symptoms.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2021Trial
- What Makes Community Inclusion Work for Older Adults With an Intellectual Disability? An Application of the Normalisation Process Theory.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID · 2026Article
- Breaking barriers: a commentary on research gaps in cancer and depression among individuals with intellectual disabilities.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Social Inclusion of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Toward Belonging.International review of research in developmental disabilities · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeople with intellectual disability (ID) are more likely to experience chronic depression compared with the general population, which may be compounded by loneliness and lower levels of social support. Befriending aims to provide social support and promote engagement in community activities. No randomised controlled trials have examined whether befriending improves symptoms of depression and social outcomes in people with ID. The aim of this pilot trial was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a future larger trial of one-to-one befriending by volunteers in people with ID and depressive symptoms.
methodsParticipants were adults with mild or moderate ID with a score of 5 or more on the Glasgow Depression Scale for People with Learning Disabilities (GDS-LD). They were randomised to the intervention arm (matched to a volunteer befriender for 6 months) or the control arm (usual care). Volunteers received training and supervision provided by two community befriending schemes. The main outcomes were feasibility of recruitment (minimum target n = 35), retention rate of participants, adherence (minimum 10 meetings), acceptability of the intervention, changes in depressive symptoms (assessed at baseline and 6 months) and feasibility of collecting data for a health economic analysis.
resultsRecruitment was challenging, and only 16 participants with ID and 10 volunteers were recruited. Six participants were matched with a volunteer and no participants dropped out (except for two volunteers). Four participants completed 10 meetings (mean 11.8). Befriending was thought to be acceptable, but modifications were suggested. An exploratory analysis suggested that GDS-LD score was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group after adjusting for baseline scores, but not significant (adjusted mean difference: -4.0; 95% confidence interval: -11.2 to 3.2).
conclusionsA large trial would not be feasible based on the recruitment strategies employed in this study. A further feasibility study addressing these challenges or the use of other study designs should be considered.
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