Table 1.
Study and participant characteristics of included studies
| Category specification | N (%) or mean (range) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total included | 63 (100%) | |
| Study characteristics | ||
| Region | Europe | 32 (50.8) |
| North America | 23 (36.5) | |
| Asia | 7 (11.1) | |
| Australasia | 1 (1.6) | |
| Design | Cross-sectional | 47 (74.6) |
| Longitudinal | 16 (25.4) | |
| Social relationship concepts | Social support | 58 a |
| Social network | 6 | |
| Negative social interactions | 3 | |
| Family functioning | 2 | |
| Relationship quality | 1 | |
| Mental health | Depression | 33 a |
| Mental health composite score | 10 | |
| Anxiety | 8 | |
| Distress | 7 | |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | 3 | |
| Hopelessness | 1 | |
| Wellbeing | Life satisfaction | 6 a |
| Quality of life | 6 | |
| Negative affect | 3 | |
| Positive affect | 2 | |
| Wellbeing | 2 | |
| Quality rating b | Low | 15 (23.8) |
| Medium | 34 (54.0) | |
| High | 14 (22.2) | |
| Participant characteristics | ||
| Sample size | Mean, range | 232.5 (50–1455) |
| Age | Mean, range | 52.1 (21.0–75.6) |
| Health condition | Rheumatoid arthritis | 22 (34.9) |
| Spinal cord injury | 14 (22.2) | |
| Multiple sclerosis | 12 (19.0) | |
| Stroke | 11 (17.4) | |
| Physically disabled, unspecified | 2 (3.2) | |
| Spina bifida | 1 (1.6) | |
| Parkinson’s disease | 1 (1.6) | |
aPercent of studies not given as some studies assess more than one social relationship concept and/or include several mental health or wellbeing outcomes
bQuality of reporting assessed by the STROBE guidelines