The impact of family interventions on communication in the context of anxiety and depression in those aged 14-24 years: systematic review of randomised control trials
- Forfatter(e)
- Lloyd, A. Broadbent, A. Brooks, E. Bulsara, K. Donoghue, K. Saijaf, R. Sampson, K. N. Thomson, A. Fearon, P. Lawrence, P. J.
- År
- 2023
- Tidsskrift
- BJPsych Open
- Sider
- e161
- Kategori(er)
- Depresjon og nedstemthet (inkl. både vansker og lidelse) Angst og engstelighet (inkl. både vansker og lidelse)
- Tiltakstype(r)
- Familieterapi
- Abstract
BACKGROUND: The ability to communicate is integral to all human relationships. Previous research has specifically highlighted communication within families as both a risk and protective factor for anxiety disorders and/or depression. Yet, there is limited understanding about whether communication is amenable to intervention in the context of adolescent psychopathology, and whether doing so improves outcomes.
AIMS: The aim of this systematic review was to determine in which contexts and for whom does addressing communication in families appear to work, not work and why? METHOD: We pre-registered our systematic review with PROSPERO (identifier CRD42022298719), followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance and assessed study quality with the Risk of Bias 2 tool.
RESULTS: Seven randomised controlled trials were identified from a systematic search of the literature. There was significant heterogeneity in the features of communication that were measured across these studies. There were mixed findings regarding whether family-focused interventions led to improvements in communication. Although there was limited evidence that family-focused interventions led to improvements in communication relative to interventions without a family-focused component, we discuss these findings in the context of the significant limitations in the studies reviewed.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that further research is required to assess the efficacy of family-focused interventions for improving communication in the context of anxiety and depression in those aged 14-24 years.