Effects of psychosocial interventions on behavioural problems in youth: A close look at Cochrane and Campbell reviews

Abstract

Research indicates that a number of psychosocial interventions are effective for reducing behavioural problems in youth. These interventions are now often included on best practice lists aiming to facilitate informed treatment choices among practitioners. However, analyses in neighbouring research areas have highlighted serious shortcomings in how primary studies are analysed and how studies are synthesised in research reviews. This study took a closer look at the evidence of efficacy for psychosocial interventions that aim to reduce behavioural problems in youth, as shown in systematic research reviews by the Cochrane and the Campbell Collaborations (n = 8). The findings suggest a bias towards overemphasising the efficacy of the interventions in several reviews, an over‐confidence in the validity of the findings in some reviews and, overall, a somewhat uncertain evidence base for the efficacy of the interventions. Systematic reviews are crucial for summarising research but more attention to methodological issues may be needed in this area.

‘Easy ride or born to be wild'? The travelling of evidence-based social work to Sweden

“…1 Researchers claim, for instance, that EBP has been presented in the guidelines in a vague and confusing way, and that it produces a false sense of confidence among social workers (Bergmark, 2007;Karlsson & Bergmark, 2012). Other expressed critic are that the NBHW is unclear about which of the two somewhat contradictory models for EBP (the top-down/Guideline Model or the bottom-up/Critical Appraisal Model) it advocates (Karlsson & Bergmark, 2012), and also that there is a lack of evidence to serve as a foundation for the guidelines (Bergmark et al, 2012;Karlsson et al, 2017;Sundell & Åhsberg, 2018).…”