Systematic review of systematic reviews on psychological therapies for people who have intellectual disabilities: 1. Quality appraisal
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-01-2022-0003 |
| Published date | 04 August 2022 |
| Date | 04 August 2022 |
| Pages | 124-134 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities |
| Author | Charlotte Clarke,Stephen Kellett,Nigel Beail |
Systematic review of systematic reviews
on psychological therapies for people
who have intellectual disabilities:
1. Quality appraisal
Charlotte Clarke, Stephen Kellett and Nigel Beail
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to assess the quality of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of
psychologicaltherapy for adults with intellectualdisabilities (ID) and mental health difficulties.
Design/methodology/approach –Four electronic databases were used: Cochrane, PsycINFO,
PubMed and Scopus. Studies were included if they were a systematic review focused primarily on
psychological therapy for adults with ID and mental health difficulties. Systematic reviews focused on
anger were also consideredfor inclusion. These reviews were rated for quality on the Amstar-2,a quality
rating tooldesigned to evaluate systematic reviews.
Findings –Twelve relevant systematic reviews were identified, which included seven reviewsfocused
primarily on cognitive behavioural therapy, two on psychodynamic therapy and three on third-wave
therapies. The AMSTAR-2 indicated that all 12 reviews were of ‘‘critically low’’ quality. Thus, there are
significantproblems with the evidence base.
Originality/value –To the best of the authors’knowledge, this is the first systematic reviewof systematic
reviews of theeffectiveness of psychological therapiesfor people who have ID. It provides an overview of
the qualityof the evidence base into one place.
Keywords Intellectual disabilities, Mental health, Psychotherapy, Psychological therapies,
Systematic review, Therapy
Paper type Literature review
The National Health Service (NHS) refers to psychological therapy as “talking therapy”
and describes it as a treatment for mental and emotional problems. Psychological
therapy should be delivered by trained therapists and can be delivered in various
formats such as one-to-one, group, with family, via the phone or online (NHS, 2018). The
aim of therapy is to discuss the client’s feelings, thoughts and the impact on the client’s
behaviour and wellbeing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2014).
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2014) has provided guidelines
for treating mental health difficulties in individuals with ID. The psychological therapies they
recommend are limited to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression and
relaxation or graded exposure for anxiety or phobias. However, this guidance is bounded
by a limited evidence base. There are few studies of psychotherapy outcomes for
individuals with ID which meet the high standards of NICE reviews; notably there is a lack of
randomised controlled trials within this field. In contrast in clinical practice a wide range of
therapeutic approaches are now offered to clients with ID (Beail, 2016) but with little
research into their utility and efficacy. Indeed, most research on psychological therapy with
people with ID has been conducted within everydayclinical practice (Beail, 2016).
Charlotte Clarke is based at
the Department of
Neuropsychology,
Rotherham Doncaster and
South Humber Mental
Health NHS Foundation
Trust, Doncaster, UK.
Stephen Kellett is based at
the Department of
Psychology, The University
of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Nigel Beail is based at the
Adult Specialist Learning
Disabilities Health Service,
South West Yorkshire
Partnership NHS
Foundation Trust, Barnsley,
UK and Department of
Psychology, The University
of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Received 14 January 2022
Revised 14 April 2022
Accepted 9 July 2022
PAGE 124 jADVANCES IN MENTAL HEALTH ANDINTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES jVOL. 16 NO. 3 2022, pp. 124-134, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282 DOI 10.1108/AMHID-01-2022-0003
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