Psychological Interventions for Reducing Interpersonal Problems and Enhancing Interpersonal Competence among Adolescents with Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis

This study examined the effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing interpersonal problems and enhancing interpersonal competence among adolescents with posttraumatic stress symptoms. A systematic search of PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Google Scholar identified 17 studies that met the inclusion criteria, with 12 effect sizes reported for interpersonal competence and 24 for interpersonal problems. Results showed similar small but statistically significant aggregated post-intervention effect for both interpersonal competence (g = 0.37, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.20, 0.55]) and interpersonal problems (g = 0.40, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.25, 0.54]), with intervention type and mode significantly moderating effects only for interpersonal problems. Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) had the largest effect on interpersonal problems, whereas skill-based interventions had the smallest. Mixed-mode interventions also showed a significantly larger effect on interpersonal problems compared to group interventions. In contrast, neither intervention type nor mode significantly moderated effects on interpersonal competence. Furthermore, insufficient follow-up data precluded evaluation of the long-term effects of interventions. This meta-analysis indicates that current interventions have small but significant aggregated post-intervention effects on both interpersonal competence and interpersonal problems, with effectiveness influenced by intervention type and mode. However, this meta-analysis is limited by small inclusion number, inclusion of heterogenous assessments, and insufficient data to examine moderating effects of gender and age. This study identified gaps in existing evidence-based interventions simultaneously targeting both interpersonal competence and interpersonal problems. Moreover, a lack of sufficient follow-up assessments raises concerns about the long-term effectiveness of existing interventions. These findings underscore the need for integrative, evidence-based interventions that target both competence and maladaptive aspects of interpersonal functioning, as well as for further high-quality studies to rigorously evaluate their long-term effectiveness across diverse adolescent populations.