🎀📬 What boosts cancer screening uptake? A new review (91 trials) mapped interventions onto the Intervention Ladder. 📈 Low‑intensity, autonomy‑supportive strategies (like reminders & self‑sampling) work best ⚠️ More intrusive approaches show no added benefit 🔎 doi.org/qs7c
Health Psychology Review
@healthpsychrev.bsky.social
Official journal of the European Health Psychology Society. Editors-in-Chief: Geert Crombez and Falko Sniehotta.
🧠⚖️ What if stress isn’t about behaviour at all? A new paper argues stress comes from mismatches between what we perceive and what we want. ⚡ Goal conflict = major source of chronic stress 🔁 Reorganising helps resolve these conflicts 🎯 Points toward truly personalised stress regulation 🔎 doi.org/qs7b
📱 Can text messages help improve diabetes management? A meta-analysis (37 RCTs; 8,971 participants) finds: 📉 SMS interventions significantly reduce HbA1c ⚡ Bigger effects in ≤6‑month programs 🔧 Strongest results when using key BCTs: habit formation, credible source & self‑monitoring 🔎 doi.org/qs69
🤰💛 How do partners shape women’s experiences with gestational diabetes? A qualitative synthesis (62 studies) finds: 🤝 Partner support ranges from practical to emotional ✨ Support that matches women’s needs eases GDM burden 🌍 Cultural norms shape how support is given & felt 🔎 doi.org/10.1080/1743...
🧠💛 How did parents of children with chronic conditions cope during COVID‑19? A meta-analysis (79 studies) finds: 📊 High rates of anxiety (31%), depression (27%) & stress ⚠️ Parents of children with CCs show higher anxiety/depression 🌍 Some effects vary by region & child age 🔎 doi.org/qs68
🏋️♀️📊 Do step‑by‑step goals boost activity? A new open access meta-analysis (53 studies) finds: ✅ Graded Tasks significantly increase physical activity 🚀 Bigger effects in prevention than treatment 🔎 Read more: doi.org/qs67
🏃😺 Does moving more make you happier? New meta-analysis of 76 studies finds: ✅ Daily physical activity is linked to better wellbeing ❌ More sedentary time = lower wellbeing 📊 Strongest effects for positive affect and life satisfaction. 🔎 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
❓ Does stress cause cancer? A new meta-analysis of 19 prospective studies says: No consistent link found. ⚠️ Evidence is very limited and low quality: most studies used single-item stress measures. ✅ Future research needs better tools and repeated assessments. 🔎 Read more: doi.org/qjzz
🪧 New meta-analysis of 57 studies shows: 👭 🌲 Community-based green exercise, such as walking groups or park workouts, boosts mental wellbeing and physical activity. 📈 Best results: 45–90 min sessions over 6–13 weeks. 🔎 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
👂Using hearing aids consistently is crucial in 0-3 year-olds with hearing loss - but actual use tends to be low. In mapping barriers and facilitators from 27 studies, the current found that current interventions only target a small subset of relevant factors! Read the full paper here: doi.org/qc4k
Emphasizing herd immunity might be a helpful strategy to improve vaccine uptake 💉 In this meta-analysis, authors found small positive, but heterogenous effects. Interestingly, effects are twice as large for experiential methods, such as VR or simulations! Read the full paper here: doi.org/qc4j
🪧 Open access paper, working towards an integrative framework of illness perceptions and mindsets in health contexts. In critically combining two different perspectives, the authors aim to deepen understanding and ultimately improve interventions. Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
🩸 New systematic review + meta-regression on plasma donation intentions and behaviour. Authors identified 56 behavioural factors across 11 domains! However, no clear clear predictors of donation behaviour were found: the intention-behaviour gap remains a priority. Read the paper 👉 doi.org/qc4h
Physical activity identity is key to understand physical activity - but we don't yet understand how to strengthen it. This systematic review identified nine antecedents of physical activity antecedents, and discuss them in depth. Full text here: doi.org/p49m
Lack of engagement is a major issue in digital mental health interventions. This meta-analysis of 117(!) trial shows: personal characteristics (e.g. gender, mental health) and intervention characteristics (e.g. guided vs self-guided) can make a difference! Read the full text here: doi.org/p49k
New open access review of 100 studies (18k+ participants): Stress in daily life is mostly self-reported, rarely physiological. Findings are mixed: stress links to both healthier & unhealthier behaviours. Standardised measures & better study quality are needed. Full text here: doi.org/p49j
New open access review tackles a core challenge in loneliness research: lack of a clear definition. 👉 Proposes a novel definition of loneliness as unmet interpersonal needs 👉 Introduces “unloneliness” as its opposite. Full text here: doi.org/p49g
‼️ New meta-analysis published: Psychosocial interventions (e.g., CBT, psychoeducation) reduce distress & improve wellbeing + quality of life in women with gynaecological cancers. Time to move towards holistic approaches, including physical, social, psychological and sexual health care!
New systematic review: Few lifestyle interventions for breast cancer survivors show sustained effects at follow-up. This review found 30 RCTs on diet, physical activity, sleep and body composition - few were effective, especially at follow-up. Full review here: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Do we have a view on fidelity in behaviour change interventions? This scoping review by found 20 models and frameworks, all covering delivery, but few agreed on other key constructs. Clearer, more comprehensive use is needed. Full review here: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
📖 New systematic review on neuropsychological assessment in non-central nervous system in cancer patients! 178 identified studies used 151(!) different tests to assess cognition - many not following guidelines. Improved tools specifically for cancer patients are needed! More here: doi.org/pzks
New meta-analysis of 35 RCTs found: Nudge-based interventions (e.g., reminders, auto-refills) significantly improve self-monitoring & health outcomes in cardiometabolic patients—incl. lower HbA1c & blood pressure - but effects depend on intervention characteristics. Full paper here: doi.org/pzb8
This paper proposes the Justice-Identification Model (JIM): Police contact affects mental health via procedural justice and social identity. Fair, inclusive policing can boost wellbeing—unfair treatment does harm. 7 hypotheses, 3 pathways, real-world implications. Full paper here: doi.org/pzb7
🪧 New open(!) systematic review: Trauma-focused therapies (esp. EMDR) show strong effects for PTSD following serious medical events (e.g., heart attack, cancer). Out of the 11 RCTs, most found significant benefits, but sample sizes were small. Full paper here: doi.org/pzb6
doi.org
🧠💊 New systematic review of 82 studies shows: Health professionals show signs of decision fatigue and end up making less effortful decisions as shifts go on. 📉 45% of quantitative studies found significant fatigue effects in diagnoses, prescribing, test ordering & more! More here: doi.org/pzb3
📢 New systematic review 📢 How do hemodialysis patients manage their symptoms? This systematic review integrated findings from 30 qualitative studies in one framework, highlighting complex experiences of patients in managing their symptoms. 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
The effectiveness of behavioral modification interventions for managing weight gain in pregnant women with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis
First page of the article Title: Insights into the complexities of symptom management for hemodialysis patients: a systematic review of qualitative studies Abstract: Patients undergoing hemodialysis experience a broad spectrum of symptoms that impact their physical, psychological, and social well-being. Traditional qualitative studies often focus on isolated aspects of patient experiences and offer limited insights into the interconnected nature of symptom management. This systematic review and meta-ethnography aims to synthesise qualitative studies and develop a comprehensive model that elucidates interrelations between patient experiences and symptom management practices in hemodialysis. Our analysis integrated findings from 30 qualitative studies using a meta-ethnographic approach. The results revealed critical psychological and social dynamics influencing symptom management. The model highlights how supportive factors, such as family involvement and effective healthcare interactions, enhance coping mechanisms, improving emotional resilience and treatment adherence. Conversely, it identifies significant barriers, including chronic self-regulatory burnout and systemic inefficiencies, that hinder symptom management and exacerbate psychological distress. By integrating diverse qualitative findings, this study proposes a shift towards patient-centred, culturally sensitive care strategies that prioritise psychological support. This shift aims to transform hemodialysis care by addressing the complex interplay of medical, psychological, and social factors. The developed framework not only facilitates deeper understanding of the psychological impacts of symptom management and offers a structured approach for future research and interventions in this domain[Q1].
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📢 New multilevel meta-analysis 📢 How can we support people to be active after retirement? This meta-analysis looked at psychological components in 67 studies, and found small but significant effects. Some strategies were associated with better effectiveness. 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
First page of the article. Title: Promoting physical activity during retirement age with psychological components: multilevel meta-analysis Abstract: Background: Physical activity is essential in preventing and treating age-related chronic diseases and mortality. Retirement is a key period to promote health behaviours, as individuals restructure their routines. Thus, we aimed to identify effective components and behaviour change techniques (BCTs) in interventions promoting physical activity in retirement-age individuals. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis. Included studies were randomised controlled trials that (p)targeted retirement-age adults (50–70 years), (i)applied BCTs, (c)had any comparator, and (o)promoted physical activity. Screening, full-text review, and data extraction were conducted independently by at least two reviewers. A multilevel random effects model with three effect sizes was fitted, and meta-regressions tested several moderators. Results: 67 studies (N = 12,147) were included. High risk of bias related to larger effects, so these studies were excluded from the main analyses. While individual effects were often non-significant, the overall pooled effect was small but statistically significant. Predictors varied across effect sizes and included action planning, motivational interviewing, and prompts/cues. Email and website delivery were associated with smaller effect sizes. Conclusions: The effectiveness of lifestyle interventions is heterogeneous and presented small effects; implementing action planning, motivational interviewing, and prompts could improve the effectiveness. However, many BCTs that are not frequently used remain unexplored.
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📢 New meta-analysis 📢 How can we best support people struggling with anxiety, depression and stress during the pandemic? This review and meta-analysis looked at digital interventions, and compared results of 20 available studies. 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Screenshot of the first page of the article. Title: Digital Psychological Interventions for Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Abstract: This study evaluates the effect of digital psychological interventions on anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms in adults affected by the pandemic. A systematic search across five digital databases, from 1 January 2020 to 6 March 2024, identified 36 studies encompassing 8,662 participants. Compared with all control conditions, random-effects meta-analyses indicated that digital psychological interventions significantly reduced anxiety (g = −0.374; 95% CI, −0.529 to −0.218), depression (g = −0.568; 95% CI, −0.776 to −0.360), and stress (g = −0.452; 95% CI, −0.608 to −0.295). Smaller effect sizes were observed when compared with active controls than with inactive controls. Notable heterogeneity across three outcomes was observed. Publication bias was noted in depression symptoms. Several moderators were identified compared with inactive controls, including participant type for anxiety (psubgroup = 0.005), and region for depression symptoms (psubgroup = 0.000). Larger sample sizes (b = 0.0004; p = 0.028) related to stronger effects on depression symptoms. Publication year positively correlated with effects on stress (b = 0.1573; p = 0.032). This study supports the efficacy of digital psychological interventions in alleviating anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms for adults during the pandemic, offering insights for developing targeted mental health strategies in future public health crises.
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Interested in behaviour change frameworks? This review and theoretical synthesis looked at barriers and enablers to having blood pressure checked, identifying knowledge, identity, emotions, social contacts and environemntal factors as key influences. 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Screenshot of first page of the article. Title: Theoretical mapping of the barriers and enablers to having bloodpressure checked among adults without a hypertensiondiagnosis: a systematic review and theoretical synthesis usingbehaviour change frameworks Abstract: Identifying influences on engagement with blood pressure (BP) checkscan assist with intervention design for hypertension detection. Thissystematic review searched four databases (Embase, Emcare, MEDLINEand Web of Science) for papers published from 2015 to 2023(PROSPERO ID: CRD42023398002). Eligible studies reported influenceson BP checks in community or primary care settings. Data were codedand mapped using the Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time frameworkand Behaviour Change Wheel. Analysis of 18 studies generated eightthemes: (1) ‘Difficult-to-use devices with no accessible information onhow to use them’ (2) ‘Lack of awareness about hypertension and BPchecks’, (3) ‘Stigma and disconnect with identity’ (4) ‘Beliefs about thevalue of BP checks’, (5) ‘Fear and uncertainty’, (6) ‘Lack of appropriateand comfortable local services’ (7) ‘Financial cost of engaging with BPcheck services’ and (8) ‘Social contacts or health professionalrecommended a check’. Knowledge, identity, emotions, social contactsand environmental factors are key behavioural influences on adults’engagement with BP checks. Potential intervention strategies includeeducation on hypertension, addressing misconceptions about BPchecks, increasing access to BP check services and harnessing theinfluence of social norms, social connections and trusted sources toimprove engagement
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