ArticleFrontiers in psychology2023
The effectiveness of community friendship groups on participant social and mental health: a meta-analysis.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of peer support groups on the psychological well-being of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Inverted "u-shaped" association of cold-water immersion frequency with mental health and upper respiratory tract infection: a cross-sectional study.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Social disconnectedness and isolation are risk factors for poor mental health. Community-based friendship group interventions have been designed to increase an individual's social capital and consequently their mental wellbeing. Structured and unstructured friendship groups reflect two distinct approaches to friendship group interventions. Methods: This meta-analysis investigated whether structured or unstructured community friendship groups are more effective for mental health and social capital outcomes. A systematic search of quantitative studies was conducted across seven databases and study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool. Eight studies (2 unstructured and 6 structured friendship groups) were included in the review, published between 2005 and 2020. Results: Structured friendship groups had a small significant effect on reducing participant depression symptoms. There was not enough available data to compare the effectiveness of structured and unstructured groups for mental health outcomes. There was substantial heterogeneity between studies to calculate pooled effect sizes for any social capital outcomes. Data synthesis indicated mixed reviews for social capital outcomes, likely due to the large heterogeneity and limited studies. Discussion: This meta-analysis provides limited support for positive mental health outcomes following structured community-based friendship group interventions. There is a need for additional research as a large research gap remains, particularly for unstructured friendship groups. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=260639, CRD42021260639.
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