Psychological and social outcomes of befriending interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Befriending is an intervention intended to provide companionship and support to socially isolated populations. This review aimed to understand the key characteristics and psychological and social outcomes of befriending interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities. METHODS: Systematic searches of electronic databases (PsycINFO, MedLine and Web of Science) identified 11 studies for inclusion. A narrative synthesis of the findings was completed, along with critical appraisal of study quality. RESULTS: Increased community participation, positive changes to social networks and mood were frequently reported outcomes for befriendees. Increased knowledge, new experiences and opportunities to 'give back' were most reported for befrienders. CONCLUSIONS: The review highlighted that existing research in this field is limited in scope and methodologically diverse. Future research should focus upon the effectiveness and long-term impact of befriending interventions, understanding the mechanisms of change, and eliciting the views of people with intellectual disabilities on their experiences

Inflammatory bowel disease psychological support pilot reduces inflammatory bowel disease symptoms and improves psychological wellbeing

This prospective service evaluation aimed to determine if integrated psychological support for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients enhanced outcomes. 75 patients were assessed and treated by a specialist liaison psychiatric service between 2015 -2017; 43 received psychiatric intervention alone, 32 were referred for psychological intervention by clinical health psychologist; 26 completed this. Pre-post data (n=15 available) included: Global impression, quality of life, psychiatric and IBD symptom scores. Referrer/patient satisfaction and cost effectiveness were retrospectively calculated. Psychological intervention led to reductions in IBD symptoms (SIBD; p=0.003), alongside improvements in depression scores (PHQ-9, p=0.006) and global impression (CGI; p=0.046). Patient/referrer satisfaction was very high. Indicative data comparing service utilisation one year before and after engagement found reductions in outpatient appointments and in imaging. This small study suggests consideration of increased access to integrated psychological support services to improve outcomes and gather further evidence of efficacy

Psychological therapy for functional neurological disorder: Examining impact on dissociation, psychological distress and general functioning

Functional neurological disorder (FND) represents a broad group of motor and sensory clinical symptoms which cannot be explained by other neurological diagnoses. Dissociation is considered a key mechanism in their development and maintenance. Despite psychological therapy being the recommended choice of treatment for FND, evidence for its effectiveness is in its infancy. This study explored the dissociative profile of forty-seven patients with FND and evaluated whether individual psychological therapy improved dissociative symptoms, psychological distress and general functioning among twenty-five adults with FND. Patients completed the Multiscale Dissociation Inventory, the EuroQol five-dimensional descriptive system, the General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Our sample showed high levels of disengagement, depersonalization and memory disturbance at baseline. Treatment was associated with significant improvements in general functioning, and symptoms of dissociation and anxiety. Improvements in dissociative experiences were found to be possibly due to reduction in anxiety. Improvements in depression were the strongest predictor of improvements in general functioning. Limitations and areas for further research are discussed.</p