49 Review of social network intervention studies 2 Meta-analysis Outcome analyses Results of the primary and secondary outcomes are presented in Table 3. The mean effect size of social network interventions on main outcome category social network was non-significant (d = 0.077, p = 0.146, k = 164), indicating that social network interventions did not significantly increase overall social network outcomes (i.e., including the extent of social support, social network size, social functioning, social participation, and other social network-related outcomes) in psychiatric patients, compared to control groups. However, on subcategory-level, significant small mean effect sizes were found on positive social network (d = 0.115, p = 0.022, k = 19) and positive support (d = 0.159; p = 0.007, k = 17), indicating that the number of supportive people in the social network and the level of support for healthy behavior increased in patients receiving social network interventions compared to control groups. In addition, we found significant small-to-medium mean effect sizes on two main outcomes categories: (1) general functioning (d = 0.127, p = 0.046, k = 32), which includes general daily functioning and health, undertaking activities, and self-care, and (2) mental health treatment adherence (d = 0.332, p = 0.003, k = 70), which includes treatment satisfaction, the level of treatment attendance and engagement, and care service use. These results indicate that social network interventions significantly improved general functioning and mental health treatment adherence in psychiatric patients, compared to control groups. Mean effect sizes on other main outcome categories were non-significant. Again, on subcategory-level, significant negligible-to-small mean effect sizes were found, in favor of social network intervention groups, namely on days substance use (d = 0.097, p = 0.004, k = 32), and abstinence (d = 0.254, p = 0.004, k = 31), and other psychological functioning outcomes (d = 0.174, p = 0.003, k = 19), which includes coping and psychosocial problems. A more comprehensive overview of the definition of above outcome (sub)categories can be found in Appendix A, Table 2.
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