Peer Support and Community Engagement Interventions for Chinese Shidu Parents: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose: This study evaluated the efficacy of peer support and community engagement interventions in improving the holistic health of older shidu parents in China, who suffer the trauma of losing their only child. Method: Several databases were systematically searched for relevant studies that were published between 1980 and June 2024, and 15 studies were identified for analysis. A meta-analysis was performed using meta-regression with robust variance estimation. Results: Studies reported an overall large and statistically significant treatment effect ( g = 0.946; p < .001; 95% CI: 0.631–1.260) of peer support and community engagement interventions on holistic health. Furthermore, moderator analyses revealed that the integration of peer support and community engagement was more effective than peer support alone ( b = 0.589; p < .05; 95% CI: 0.010–1.168). Discussion: Future programs should integrate peer support with community engagement interventions to enhance the well-being of older shidu parents.