Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37667255›Full record

SynthesisBMC psychiatry2023

Associations between constructs related to social relationships and mental health conditions and symptoms: an umbrella review.

Eiluned Pearce, Mary Birken, Sarah Pais, Millie Tamworth, Yutung Ng, Jingyi Wang, Beverley Chipp, Ellena Crane, Merle Schlief, Jinyan Yang and 8 more

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
15.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The invisible wall: experiences of social isolation in colorectal cancer patients with ostomy-a qualitative meta-synthesis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Pooled it
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  4. Review
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  8. Chronic disease and social isolation among Canadians: evidence from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Eiluned Pearce *Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Mary Birken *Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Sarah Pais *Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Millie TamworthDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Yutung NgDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Jingyi WangKey Laboratory of Public Health Safety, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Beverley ChippCo-production Group, Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Research Network, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Ellena CraneDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Merle SchliefDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Jinyan YangDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Aggelos StamosDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Lui Kwan ChengDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Maria CondonDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Brynmor Lloyd-EvansDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
James B KirkbrideDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
David OsbornDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Alexandra PitmanDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Sonia JohnsonDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK. s.johnson@ucl.ac.uk.
University College London · GBCamden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust · GBFudan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLoneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognised as prevalent among people with mental health problems, and as potential targets for interventions to improve quality of life and outcomes, as well as for preventive strategies. Understanding the relationship between quality and quantity of social relationships and a range of mental health conditions is a helpful step towards development of such interventions. PURPOSE: Our aim was to give an overview of associations between constructs related to social relationships (including loneliness and social isolation) and diagnosed mental conditions and mental health symptoms, as reported in systematic reviews of observational studies.

methodsFor this umbrella review (systematic review of systematic reviews) we searched five databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science) and relevant online resources (PROSPERO, Campbell Collaboration, Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence Synthesis Journal). We included systematic reviews of studies of associations between constructs related to social relationships and mental health diagnoses or psychiatric symptom severity, in clinical or general population samples. We also included reviews of general population studies investigating the relationship between loneliness and risk of onset of mental health problems.

resultsWe identified 53 relevant systematic reviews, including them in a narrative synthesis. We found evidence regarding associations between (i) loneliness, social isolation, social support, social network size and composition, and individual-level social capital and (ii) diagnoses of mental health conditions and severity of various mental health symptoms. Depression (including post-natal) and psychosis were most often reported on, with few systematic reviews on eating disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and only four related to anxiety. Social support was the most commonly included social construct. Our findings were limited by low quality of reviews and their inclusion of mainly cross-sectional evidence.

conclusionGood quality evidence is needed on a wider range of social constructs, on conditions other than depression, and on longitudinal relationships between social constructs and mental health symptoms and conditions.

Indexed as

Mental HealthQuality of LifeCross-Sectional StudiesHumansInterpersonal RelationsSystematic Reviews as TopicLonelinessMental HealthSocial isolationSocial networkUmbrella review

Identifiers

PMID37667255
PMCPMC10478264
OpenAlexW4386423644

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.