Social interventions: An effective approach to reduce adult depression?
- Authors
- Nagy, Emma; Moore, Spencer
- Year
- 2017
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- PMID
- 28472703
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.043
BACKGROUND: Social interventions that aim to facilitate bonds and interaction among individuals could reduce depression at a population level; yet, the scope and effectiveness of these interventions remain unclear. This systematic review classifies and reports on social interventions that have been implemented to target depression in adults. METHODS: Search terms related to 'intervention', 'depression', and 'social' were entered into databases, including: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and TRoPHI. Inclusion criteria included: (1) depression was an intervention outcome, (2) depression was not attributable to concomitant illnesses or circumstances (e.g., chronic illness or exposure to natural disasters), (3) the intervention facilitated social interaction, (4) the intervention targeted adults (18-64), (5) the sample was community-based, (6) the study was available in English, and (7) within-group or between-group comparison group information was available. RESULTS: Of the 24 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, 17 reported reductions in depressive symptoms. Social interventions often incorporated multiple strategies to improve depressive symptoms, including: peer support (n=17), skill building (n=11), group-based activities (n =11), psycho-education (n =9), psychotherapy (n =5), exercise (n =5), and links to community resources (n=3). LIMITATIONS: Findings of this review may not be generalizable to specific population subgroups with depression, including those who have chronic illnesses or postpartum depression. CONCLUSIONS: Various types of social interventions can be effective in reducing adult depression. Social interventions can be tailored to diverse groups, are feasible in resource-scarce communities, and have the potential to reduce population-level depression due to their group formats.
No figures extracted from this document.
No chunks β full text not yet ingested.
No entities extracted from this document yet.
No uploaded files.
No citations found.
In this knowledge base
| Title | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|
| Post-GWAS in Psychiatric Genetics: A Developmental Perspective on the "Other" Next Steps. | 2018 | 29227573 |
External
| Title | Authors | Journal | Year | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effects of videoconference-supervised exercise training program on physical and cognitive conditions, and mental well-being in older adults: A randomized trial. | Milot E et al. | β | 2026 | β |
| Measuring social environment factors of inpatients and outpatients with depression in Germany: a cross-sectional study. | Schoenweger P et al. | β | 2025 | β |
| Preventing depression in high-income countries-A systematic review of studies evaluating change in social determinants. | Nicolaou M et al. | β | 2025 | β |
| Psychological, psychosocial and physical barriers preventing nature-based intervention participation in adults with mental health disorders: A scoping review. | Burrell MW et al. | β | 2025 | β |
| Relationship patterns in social networks of patients with depression in physical and online interactions: a sequential qualitative approach. | Mayer G et al. | β | 2025 | β |
| The Critical Role of Resilience in the Onset of Major Depressive Disorder and Its Influence Through Eating Behaviors and Psychological Needs. | Kiraz Avci Δ° et al. | β | 2025 | β |
| Association between social engagement frequency and depression among the older people in China: evidence from the 2011-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. | Li J et al. | β | 2024 | β |
| Interventions targeting social determinants of mental disorders and the Sustainable Development Goals: a systematic review of reviews. | Oswald TK et al. | β | 2024 | β |
| Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies. | Murphy RJ et al. | β | 2024 | β |
| Spiritual interventions: Improving the lives of colorectal cancer survivors-A systematic literature review. | Okere CA et al. | β | 2024 | β |
| Who Benefited the Most? Effectiveness of a Lifestyle Intervention Against Cognitive Decline in Older Women and Men - Secondary Analysis of the AgeWell.de-trial. | Wittmann FG et al. | β | 2024 | β |
| Social avoidance and altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in a mouse model of anxious depression: The role of LPA<sub>1</sub> receptor. | Moreno-FernΓ‘ndez RD et al. | β | 2023 | β |
| The association between trajectories of change in social functioning and psychological treatment outcome in university students: a growth mixture model analysis. | Barnett P et al. | β | 2023 | β |
| The Effect of the Shikamana Peer-and-Provider Intervention on Depressive Symptoms, Alcohol Use, and Other Drug Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Kenya. | Graff NR et al. | β | 2023 | β |
| The effects of a magic-based intervention on self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and quality of life among community-dwelling older adults: a randomised controlled trial. | Wang WL et al. | β | 2023 | β |
| Early-life stress, depressive symptoms, and inflammation: the role of social factors. | Nakamura JS et al. | β | 2022 | β |
| Use of unstructured intervention in a community-based mental health setting for the recovery of people with depression in Hong Kong: A qualitative assessment. | Lai DWL et al. | β | 2022 | β |
| What is the volume, diversity and nature of recent, robust evidence for the use of peer support in health and social care? An evidence and gap map. | Price A et al. | β | 2022 | β |
| Differences in functional and structural social support among female and male veterans and civilians. | Campbell SB et al. | β | 2021 | β |
| Effectiveness of community interventions for protecting and promoting the mental health of working-age adults experiencing financial uncertainty: a systematic review. | McGrath M et al. | β | 2021 | β |
| Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for the Treatment of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial. | Mota SM et al. | β | 2021 | β |
| Nonpharmacological Treatment for Supporting Social Participation of Adults with Depression. | Phadsri S et al. | β | 2021 | β |
| Effect of Aggressive Experience in Female Syrian Hamsters on Glutamate Receptor Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens. | Borland JM et al. | β | 2020 | β |
| Mentalizing self and others: A controlled study investigating the relationship between alexithymia and theory of mind in major depressive disorder. | Durmaz O et al. | β | 2020 | β |
| Conceptual framework for social connectedness in mental disorders: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. | Hare-Duke L et al. | β | 2019 | β |
| The effect of causal attributions for depression on help-seeking and treatment preferences. | Nolan A et al. | β | 2019 | β |
| Post-GWAS in Psychiatric Genetics: A Developmental Perspective on the "Other" Next Steps. | Dick DM et al. | β | 2018 | β |
| Social networks of patients with chronic depression: A systematic review. | Visentini C et al. | β | 2018 | β |
| The Association Between Social Network Factors with Depression and Anxiety at Different Life Stages. | Levula A et al. | β | 2018 | β |