Effects of befriending on depressive symptoms and distress: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: High rates of emotional distress and depressive symptoms in the community can reflect difficult life events and social circumstances. There is a need for appropriate, low-cost, non-medical interventions for many individuals. Befriending is an emotional support intervention commonly offered by the voluntary sector. Aims: To examine the effectiveness of befriending in the treatment of emotional distress and depressive symptoms. Method: Systematic review of randomised trials of interventions focused on providing emotional support to individuals in the community. Results: Compared with usual care or no treatment, befriending had a modest but significant effect on depressive symptoms in the short term (standardised mean difference SMD= -0.27, 95% Cl -0.48 to -0.06, nine studies) and long term (SMD= -0.18, 95% Cl -0.32 to -0.05, five studies). Conclusions: Befriending has a modest effect on depressive symptoms and emotional distress in varied patient groups. Further exploration of active ingredients, appropriate target populations and optimal methods of delivery is required.