Quality of Life With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/Joint Hypermobility Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Interventions.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions, particularly mindfulness and CBT, in improving quality of life for individuals with EDS/JHMS.
Results Summary
The study found weak evidence that psychosocial interventions, including mindfulness and CBT, generally improved quality of life compared to no intervention, though methodological flaws and high risk of bias limit confidence in these findings. Some studies also noted improvements in pain and fatigue.
Population
Individuals diagnosed with EDS/JHMS, aged 13-69, predominantly female (248 females, 8 males), ethnicity not reported.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
psychosocial interventions | increase | QoL | people with wider chronic pain conditions | - | may improve | #1 |
psychosocial interventions containing mindfulness and CBT | increase | QoL | participants diagnosed with EDS/JHMS | - | resulted in a general improvement | #2 |
mindfulness and CBT | increase | QOL | EDS/JHMS | - | improving | #3 |
mindfulness and CBT | decrease | pain | EDS/JHMS | - | improving | #4 |
mindfulness and CBT | decrease | fatigue | EDS/JHMS | - | improving | #5 |
BACKGROUND: Psychosocial interventions may improve QoL in people with wider chronic pain conditions. However, the evidence requires refining for application to EDS/JHMS. This systematic review aimed to identify, assess and synthesise the evidence of the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions concerning EDS/JHMS. EBSCO, OpenGrey, Cochrane, Prospero, Researchgate and BPS Wiley online were searched for papers published approximately 2000-2024 for studies in which (1) Participants diagnosed with EDS/JHMS. (2) Quantitative or mixed methods. (3) Assessed a Psychosocial intervention to a (4) quality of life outcome. (5) in English. EPHPP quality assessment tool was used to assess the quality and risk of bias. MAIN TEXT: The study identified six studies, including 343 participants aged 13-69 (F = 248, M = 8), of unknown ethnicity. Five studies were cohort and one non-randomised controlled trial. Key methodological flaws included no reported effect size and no control group. With quality assessed as low (5) or moderate (1), there was weak evidence that psychosocial interventions containing mindfulness and CBT resulted in a general improvement in QoL compared to no intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this review indicate the potential of mindfulness and CBT in improving QOL in EDS/JHMS and, in some studies, pain and fatigue. However, existing research is at high risk of bias, has low methodological quality, and is predominately focused on female patients. Future research should adopt methodologically robust approaches such as RCTs and more inclusive samples and consider co-production.