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Updated: Nov 17, 2025
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Barriers to attending initial psychological therapy service appointments for common mental health problems: A
Jennifer Sweetman1, Peter Knapp2, Danielle Varley1
1Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.
Background:
Non-attendance at initial appointments is a widespread problem which affects mental health services and patients.
Methods:
This mixed methods systematic review identified and synthesised the available literature on factors, which could be modified either by patients or by services, that can influence early attrition to services offering psychological support for common mental health problems. Searches were conducted January 2017, updated Oct 2019, in MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and PsycINFO. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were completed independently by two reviewers. Quality appraisals used Joanna Briggs Institute tools.
Results:
Of the 31,758 references identified (21,123 unique), 34 studies were selected for inclusion. Studies used cohort (14), cross-sectional (10) and qualitative (9) designs. An additional study reported both quantitative and qualitative components. Findings from observational studies related to the presenting problem, beliefs about symptoms and treatment, contact with services, practical challenges and social support. Themes from qualitative studies centred around individual perceptions of symptoms and support, social and cultural influences, experiences with services and practical issues. Similarities and differences between quantitative and qualitative syntheses are discussed in a combined synthesis.
Limitations:
This review did not attempt to measure the effect of factors affecting attendance, or the effectiveness of interventions to reduce non-attendance to initial treatment appointments.
Conclusions:
Ensuring treatments offered matched patient perceptions of problems, reducing patient concerns around engagement, and offering prompt responses with flexibility to accommodate patient circumstances consistently influenced initial attendance. More work is needed to improve perceptions of mental health services in the community.
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