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Psychosocial outcomes of telephone-based counseling for adults with an acquired physical disability: A meta-analysis
D S Dorstyn1, J L Mathias, L A Denson
1South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service, Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, Northfield, South Australia, Australia.
Background:
The delivery of mental health services by telephone, referred to as telecounseling, has the potential to improve the health outcomes of adults with an acquired physical disability in a cost-effective way. However, the efficacy of this form of treatment requires further evaluation before it is used on a larger scale.
Aim:
This meta-analysis provides a critical and quantitative evaluation of the impact of telephone-administered psychological interventions on the psychosocial functioning of adults with an acquired physical disability caused by spinal cord injury, limb amputation, severe burn injury, stroke, or multiple sclerosis.
Method:
A comprehensive search of eight electronic databases identified eight studies (N = 658 participants) that compared treatment efficacy to that of matched control groups. Differences in the psychosocial outcomes of treatment and control participants were examined using Cohen's d effect sizes. Fail-safe Ns and 95% confidence intervals were used to evaluate the significance of these results.
Results:
Significant improvements in coping skills and strategies (overall d = 0.57), community integration (overall d = 0.45), and depression (overall d = 0.44) were observed immediately after telecounseling, with modest improvements in quality of life maintained at 12 months post-intervention (overall d = 0.37).
Conclusions:
The results suggest that telecounseling is an effective treatment modality for adults adjusting to a physical disability; however, further trials are needed to establish the long term psychosocial benefits.
