Effectiveness of identity-building interventions on recovery identity and patient-reported health outcomes in chronic diseases: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of identity-building interventions on recovery identity and patient-reported health outcomes in chronic disease patients. We identified 15 relevant empirical studies (comprising 2261 patients) from 989 records through extensive keyword searches and manual screening conducted between March 2nd and March 13th, 2023. Utilizing the Cochrane tool, meta-regression, and the GRADE approach, we evaluated these studies for their characteristics, findings, and quality. The analysis revealed that identity-building interventions, encompassing recovery-oriented group, interest group, and linguistic approaches, positively influenced identity synthesis and had varying effects on health outcomes. Notably, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that identity synthesis significantly predicted health outcomes. However, the study identified mild heterogeneity, a high attrition bias risk, and insufficient data on selection and detection bias as limitations. Overall, identity-building interventions proved influential in enhancing recovery identity, a vital predictor of patient-reported health outcomes in chronic disease patients.