Effectiveness of Interventions for Improving Social Inclusion Outcomes for People With Disabilities in Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Campbell Systematic Reviews
Saran, A., Hunt, X., et al. (2023).
Campbell Systematic Reviews, 19(1), 1-43.
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects of a variety of interventions (e.g., social skill training, parent training programs, programs for increasing community access/participation) on social inclusion outcomes (e.g., social and communication skills, community participation, peer and community relationships) in individuals with disabilities (e.g., hearing loss, physical impairment, intellectual impairment) who live in low- and middle-income countries.
UK Department of International Development; Centre for Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (UK); Programme for Evidence to iNform Disability Action (UK)
From database inception to February 2020
Experimental and quasi‐experimental study designs and non‐randomized studies with a control group that included controlled before-and-after studies.
37 total studies; 16 studies included in the meta-analysis
For individuals on the autism spectrum living in low- to middle-income countries, interventions targeting social inclusion outcomes demonstrated large, significant positive effect size on social skills (SMD=0.83; CI=0.21 to 1.45; <em>k</em>=9; I<sup>2</sup>=90%; <em>p</em><0.01) and moderate, significant positive effect size for social behavior (SMD=0.57; CI=0.16 to 0.98; <em>k</em>=5; I<sup>2</sup>=0%; <em>p</em>=0.83). The authors suggest caution when interpreting these results due to low confidence in the quality of the included studies, heterogeneity across reported effect sizes, and the presence of publication bias.
For individuals with learning or intellectual disabilities who live in low- to middle-income countries, interventions targeting social inclusion outcomes demonstrated a large, non-significant positive effect size on social skills (SMD=1.01; CI=-0.10 to 2.12; <em>k</em>=3; I<sup>2</sup>=90%; <em>p</em><0.001). One study reported a moderate, non-significant positive effect size for social behavior (SMD=0.44; CI=0.-19 to 1.08). The authors suggest caution when interpreting these results due to low confidence in the quality of the included studies, heterogeneity across reported effect sizes, and the presence of publication bias.
