Effects of Social Support Interventions on Medical Patient Survival: A Meta-Analysis of Non-Randomized Clinical Trials

Background: Prior research confirms that social support promotes resilience among medical patients with chronic illness. Beyond emotional benefits, research has increasingly shown the importance of social support on physical health outcomes. Therefore, identifying and evaluating interventions that increase social support among medical patients with chronic conditions is a priority for healthcare. Methods: This meta-analysis summarized data from 39,493 medical patients across 14 non-randomized trials that had been identified by a prior review of the survival benefits of social support interventions. Results: Across four studies reporting hazard ratio data, the results failed to reach statistical significance (HR = 2.10, 95% CI = 0.99 to 4.48, p = 0.0546), and the results of ten studies reporting odds ratio data were of smaller magnitude (OR = 1.27, 95% CI [0.72, 2.23], p > 0.05). Heterogeneity characterized both the odds ratio data (I2 = 53%; Q = 18.1, p = 0.03) and hazard ratio data (I2 = 89%, Q = 23, p < 0.001). A notable finding was that studies with longer periods of data collection showed longer survival among medical patients receiving social support. Conclusions: Long-term observations may be necessary for the survival benefits of social support interventions to become apparent. Further research with a larger pool of data from long-term follow-up studies will be needed to establish firm conclusions.