scholarly journals Effects of interventions for social anxiety and shyness in school-aged children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254117
Author(s):  
Reinie Cordier ◽  
Renée Speyer ◽  
Natasha Mahoney ◽  
Anne Arnesen ◽  
Liv Heidi Mjelve ◽  
...  

In school, shyness is associated with psychosocial difficulties and has negative impacts on children’s academic performance and wellbeing. Even though there are different strategies and interventions to help children deal with shyness, there is currently no comprehensive systematic review of available interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to identify interventions for shy children and to evaluate the effectiveness in reducing psychosocial difficulties and other impacts. The methodology and reporting were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and checklist. A total of 4,864 studies were identified and 25 of these met the inclusion criteria. These studies employed interventions that were directed at school-aged children between six and twelve years of age and described both pre- and post-intervention measurement in target populations of at least five children. Most studies included an intervention undertaken in a school setting. The meta-analysis revealed interventions showing a large effect in reducing negative consequences of shyness, which is consistent with extant literature regarding shyness in school, suggesting school-age as an ideal developmental stage to target shyness. None of the interventions were delivered in a classroom setting, limiting the ability to make comparisons between in-class interventions and those delivered outside the classroom, but highlighting the effectiveness of interventions outside the classroom. The interventions were often conducted in group sessions, based at the school, and involved activities such as play, modelling and reinforcement and clinical methods such as social skills training, psychoeducation, and exposure. Traditionally, such methods have been confined to a clinic setting. The results of the current study show that, when such methods are used in a school-based setting and involve peers, the results can be effective in reducing negative effects of shyness. This is consistent with recommendations that interventions be age-appropriate, consider social development and utilise wide, school-based programs that address all students.

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e030371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Purssell ◽  
Dinah Gould ◽  
Jane Chudleigh

ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature exploring the impact of isolation on hospitalised patients who are infectious: psychological and non-psychological outcomes.DesignSystematic review with meta-analysis.Data sourcesEmbase, Medline and PsycINFO were searched from inception until December 2018. Reference lists and Google Scholar were also handsearched.ResultsTwenty-six papers published from database inception to December 2018 were reviewed. A wide range of psychological and non-psychological outcomes were reported. There was a marked trend for isolated patients to exhibit higher levels of depression, the pooled standardised mean difference being 1.28 (95% CI 0.47 to 2.09) and anxiety 1.45 (95% CI 0.56 to 2.34), although both had high levels of heterogeneity, and worse outcomes for a range of care-related factors but with significant variation.ConclusionThe review indicates that isolation to contain the risk of infection has negative consequences for segregated patients. Although strength of the evidence is weak, comprising primarily single-centre convenience samples, consistency of the effects may strengthen this conclusion. More research needs to be undertaken to examine this relationship and develop and test interventions to reduce the negative effects of isolation.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Domingo Jesús Ramos-Campo ◽  
Luis Andreu Caravaca ◽  
Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Jacobo Ángel Rubio-Arias

We assessed the effects of resistance circuit-based training (CT) on strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted in three databases, ending on March, 2020. Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis were used to analyze the effects of pre–post-intervention CT and differences from control groups (CG). Of the 830 studies found, 45 were included in the meta-analysis (58 experimental groups (n = 897) and 34 CG (n = 474)). The CT interventions led to increases in muscle mass (1.9%; p < 0.001) and decreases in fat mass (4.3%; p < 0.001). With regard to cardiorespiratory fitness, CT had a favorable effect on VO2max (6.3%; p < 0.001), maximum aerobic speed or power (0.3%; p = 0.04), and aerobic performance (2.6%; p = 0.006) after training. Concerning strength outcome, the CT increased the strength of the upper and lower extremities. Only the magnitude of strength performance appears to be influenced by the training (number of sessions and frequency) and the training status. Moreover, low and moderate intensities and short rest time between exercise increase the magnitude of change in fat mass loss. Therefore, CT has been shown to be an effective method for improving body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and strength of the lower and upper limbs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Pfledderer ◽  
Ryan D. Burns ◽  
Wonwoo Byun ◽  
Russell L. Carson ◽  
Gregory J. Welk ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
M. R. Ismail ◽  
J. A. Seabrook ◽  
J. A. Gilliland

Abstract Objective: Fruit and vegetables (FVs) distribution interventions have been implemented as a public health strategy to increase children’s intake of FVs at school settings. The purpose of this review was to examine whether snack-based FVs distribution interventions can improve school-aged children’s consumption of FVs. Design: Systematic Review and meta-analysis of articles published in English, in a peer-review journals were identified by searching six databases up to August 2020. Standardized Mean Differences (SMDs) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Heterogeneity was quantified using I2 statistics. Setting: Population-based studies of interventions where the main focus was the effectiveness of distributed FVs as snacks to schoolchildren in North America, Europe and Pacific were included. Results: Forty-seven studies, reporting on 15 different interventions, were identified; 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. All interventions were effective in increasing children’s consumption of FVs, with only one intervention demonstrating a null effect. Pooled results under all classifications showed effectiveness in improving children’s consumption of FVs, particularly for multi-component interventions at post-intervention (SMD 0.20, CI 0.13, 0.27) and free distribution interventions at follow-up (SMD 0.19, CI 0.12, 0.27). Conclusions: Findings suggest that utilizing FV distribution interventions provide a promising avenue by which children’s consumption can be improved. Nonetheless, our results are based on a limited number of studies, and further studies should be performed to confirm these results. More consistent measurement protocols in terms of rigorous study methodologies, intervention duration, and follow-up evaluation are needed to improve comparability across studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 639-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uthara Nair ◽  
Nigel R Armfield ◽  
Mark D Chatfield ◽  
Sisira Edirippulige

Introduction Maternal depression (MD), is an overarching term for depression affecting pregnant women and mothers for up to 12 months postpartum. Because MD may have chronic and long-lasting effects, it is an important public health concern. The extent to which telemedicine may be an effective way to provide services to sufferers of MD is unknown, therefore, this review aimed to assess the available evidence. Methods We conducted a search of The Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE for relevant randomised controlled trials published between 2000 and 2018; we then conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Results We identified 10 studies for inclusion. Therapeutic strategies involved cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), behavioural activation and other psychoeducation. Eight trials reported significant improvement in depression scores post-intervention; four studies that conducted post-intervention follow-up found that these improvements continued. However, high attrition rates and lack of blinding were common problems. Discussion This review found limited evidence supporting the delivery of CBT for the treatment of MD and anxiety using telemedicine. However, most of the evidence only studied improvements in postpartum depression, indicating that use of telemedicine to provide MD intervention is still small and an under-researched area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Martinoli ◽  
Carlo La Vecchia ◽  
Sara Raimondi ◽  
Federica Bellerba ◽  
Clementina Sasso ◽  
...  

Background. The contribution of children to viral spread in schools is still under debate. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to investigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the school setting. Methods: Literature searches from April, 2021 and repeated on May, 15th 2021 yielded a total of 1088 publications: screening, contact tracing and seroprevalence studies. MOOSE guidelines were followed and data analyzed using random-effects models. Results: From screening studies involving more than 120,000 subjects, we estimated 0.31% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.05-0.81%) SARS-CoV-2 point prevalence in schools. Contact tracing studies, involving a total of 112,622 contacts of children and adults, showed that onward viral transmission was limited (2.54%; 95%CI 0.76-5.31). Young index cases were found to be 74% significantly less likely than adults to favor viral spread (Odds Ratio [OR]=0.26; 95%CI 0.11-0.63) and were less susceptible to infection (OR=0.60; 95% CI 0.25-1.47). Finally, from seroprevalence studies, with a total of 17,879 subjects involved, we estimated that children are 43% significantly less likely than adults to test positive for antibodies (OR=0.57; 95%CI: 0.49-0.68). In conclusion, testing all subjects in schools, independently of symptoms, students less likely than adults favor viral spread and SARS-CoV-2 circulation in schools was found to be limited.


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