ÜBERMAD
Three friends on a bench; the one in the middle opens her cupped hands to show a small glowing light as the others lean in.

Action5

Open up to your peers

Share feelings and challenges with a group of peers and hear each other's strengths to build closer bonds.

TopicEvidencePotential benefit
Goals
Motivation
  • Goals
    Evidence Potential benefit

    Opening up to your peers probably helps you get a little more done.

    • Certainty rated high by the review's authors (U294).
    • Capped at three: programmes that combine several tools.
  • Motivation
    Evidence Potential benefit

    Opening up to your peers may help a little with motivation.

    • A meta-analysis without both a risk-of-bias check and a publication-bias test.

    Benefit size from Support from people who had cancer improved quality of life and eased depression, against people who got usual care.

What 3 studies found

  1. HelpedTested
    In 12 studies, people who got peer support had a better quality of life than the other groups.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Review

  2. HelpedTested
    In 11 studies, people who got peer support had less depression than people who got usual care.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Review

  3. No differenceTested
    In nine studies, anxiety was not clearly lower with peer support than with usual care.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Review

  4. HelpedTested
    In five studies, people who got peer support felt more confident in coping than people who got usual care.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Review

  5. HelpedTested
    Across 2 studies, the 12-step programme helped more people stay off alcohol at 12 months.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Mixes trials with other kinds of study

    Review

  6. No differenceTested
    Across 4 studies, the 12-step programme did not change how many days people went without alcohol at 12 months.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Mixes trials with other kinds of study

    Review

  7. No differenceTested
    In one study, the 12-step programme did not change how many drinks people had on drinking days at 12 months.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Mixes trials with other kinds of study

    Review

  8. No differenceTested
    At 12 months, drinking problems were about the same in the 12-step programme as with other talking therapies.

    Whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

    Mixes trials with other kinds of study

    Review

  9. MixedTested
    Weekly groups for opening up to classmates matched health class for school effort at first, then edged ahead months later.

    Paper

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