TY - JOUR A1 - Brunner, Martin A1 - Keller, Lena A1 - Stallasch, Sophie E. A1 - Kretschmann, Julia A1 - Hasl, Andrea A1 - Preckel, Franzis A1 - Luedtke, Oliver A1 - Hedges, Larry T1 - Meta-analyzing individual participant data from studies with complex survey designs BT - a tutorial on using the two-stage approach for data from educational large-scale assessments JF - Research synthesis methods N2 - Descriptive analyses of socially important or theoretically interesting phenomena and trends are a vital component of research in the behavioral, social, economic, and health sciences. Such analyses yield reliable results when using representative individual participant data (IPD) from studies with complex survey designs, including educational large-scale assessments (ELSAs) or social, health, and economic survey and panel studies. The meta-analytic integration of these results offers unique and novel research opportunities to provide strong empirical evidence of the consistency and generalizability of important phenomena and trends. Using ELSAs as an example, this tutorial offers methodological guidance on how to use the two-stage approach to IPD meta-analysis to account for the statistical challenges of complex survey designs (e.g., sampling weights, clustered and missing IPD), first, to conduct descriptive analyses (Stage 1), and second, to integrate results with three-level meta-analytic and meta-regression models to take into account dependencies among effect sizes (Stage 2). The two-stage approach is illustrated with IPD on reading achievement from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). We demonstrate how to analyze and integrate standardized mean differences (e.g., gender differences), correlations (e.g., with students' socioeconomic status [SES]), and interactions between individual characteristics at the participant level (e.g., the interaction between gender and SES) across several PISA cycles. All the datafiles and R scripts we used are available online. Because complex social, health, or economic survey and panel studies share many methodological features with ELSAs, the guidance offered in this tutorial is also helpful for synthesizing research evidence from these studies. KW - complex survey designs KW - educational large-scale assessments KW - individual KW - participant data KW - meta-analysis KW - Programme for International Student KW - Assessment Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1584 SN - 1759-2879 SN - 1759-2887 VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 5 EP - 35 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ryo, Masahiro A1 - Jeschke, Jonathan M. A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Heger, Tina T1 - Machine learning with the hierarchy-of-hypotheses (HoH) approach discovers novel pattern in studies on biological invasions JF - Research synthesis methods N2 - Research synthesis on simple yet general hypotheses and ideas is challenging in scientific disciplines studying highly context-dependent systems such as medical, social, and biological sciences. This study shows that machine learning, equation-free statistical modeling of artificial intelligence, is a promising synthesis tool for discovering novel patterns and the source of controversy in a general hypothesis. We apply a decision tree algorithm, assuming that evidence from various contexts can be adequately integrated in a hierarchically nested structure. As a case study, we analyzed 163 articles that studied a prominent hypothesis in invasion biology, the enemy release hypothesis. We explored if any of the nine attributes that classify each study can differentiate conclusions as classification problem. Results corroborated that machine learning can be useful for research synthesis, as the algorithm could detect patterns that had been already focused in previous narrative reviews. Compared with the previous synthesis study that assessed the same evidence collection based on experts' judgement, the algorithm has newly proposed that the studies focusing on Asian regions mostly supported the hypothesis, suggesting that more detailed investigations in these regions can enhance our understanding of the hypothesis. We suggest that machine learning algorithms can be a promising synthesis tool especially where studies (a) reformulate a general hypothesis from different perspectives, (b) use different methods or variables, or (c) report insufficient information for conducting meta-analyses. KW - artificial intelligence KW - hierarchy-of-hypotheses approach KW - machine learning KW - meta-analysis KW - synthesis KW - systematic review Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1363 SN - 1759-2879 SN - 1759-2887 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - 66 EP - 73 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maaß, Ulrike A1 - Kühne, Franziska A1 - Maas, Jana A1 - Unverdross, Maria A1 - Weck, Florian T1 - Psychological interventions for health anxiety and somatic symptoms BT - a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - Zeitschrift für Psychologie = Journal of psychology N2 - This study examined the effectiveness of psychological interventions for severe health anxiety (SHA) regarding somatic symptoms (SS) and health anxiety (HA). The databases Web of Science, EBSCO, and CENTRAL were searched on May 15, 2019, May 16, 2019, and August 5, 2019, respectively. Eighteen randomized controlled trials (N = 2,050) met the inclusion criteria (i.e., hypochondriasis, illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder with elevated HA being assessed with validated interviews: use of standardized outcome measures). Two reviewers independently evaluated the studies' risk of bias using the Revised Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials (RoB-2) tool. Overall, psychological interventions were significantly more effective than waitlist, treatment-as-usual, or placebo post-treatment (g(SS) = 0.70, g(HA) = 1.11) and at follow-up (g(SS) = 0.33, g(HA)= 0.70). CBT outperformed other psychological interventions or pharmacotherapy for HA post- treatment (Hedge's g(HA) = 0.81). The number of sessions did not significantly predict the effect sizes. In sum, psychological interventions were effective for SHA, but the generalizability of the results for SS is limited, because only two high-quatity trials contributed to the comparison. KW - health anxiety KW - hypochondriasis KW - systematic review KW - meta-analysis KW - psychotherapy Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000400 SN - 2190-8370 SN - 2151-2604 VL - 228 IS - 2 SP - 68 EP - 80 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Hagen, Alexa A1 - Kohnen, Saskia A1 - Stadie, Nicole T1 - Foreign language attainment of children/adolescents with poor literacy skills BT - a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - Educational psychology review N2 - This systematic review investigated how successful children/adolescents with poor literacy skills learn a foreign language compared with their peers with typical literacy skills. Moreover, we explored whether specific characteristics related to participants, foreign language instruction, and assessment moderated scores on foreign language tests in this population. Overall, 16 studies with a total of 968 participants (poor reader/spellers:n = 404; control participants:n = 564) met eligibility criteria. Only studies focusing on English as a foreign language were available. Available data allowed for meta-analyses on 10 different measures of foreign language attainment. In addition to standard mean differences (SMDs), we computed natural logarithms of the ratio of coefficients of variation (CVRs) to capture individual variability between participant groups. Significant between-study heterogeneity, which could not be explained by moderator analyses, limited the interpretation of results. Although children/adolescents with poor literacy skills on average showed lower scores on foreign language phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and reading comprehension measures, their performance varied significantly more than that of control participants. Thus, it remains unclear to what extent group differences between the foreign language scores of children/adolescents with poor and typical literacy skills are representative of individual poor readers/spellers. Taken together, our results indicate that foreign language skills in children/adolescents with poor literacy skills are highly variable. We discuss the limitations of past research that can guide future steps toward a better understanding of individual differences in foreign language attainment of children/adolescents with poor literacy skills. KW - poor literacy KW - dyslexia KW - foreign language KW - bilingualism KW - meta-analysis Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09566-6 SN - 1040-726X SN - 1573-336X VL - 33 IS - 2 SP - 459 EP - 488 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diekmann, Martin A1 - Andres, Christian A1 - Becker, Thomas A1 - Bennie, Jonathan A1 - Blueml, Volker A1 - Bullock, James M. A1 - Culmsee, Heike A1 - Fanigliulo, Miriam A1 - Hahn, Annett A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Leuschner, Christoph A1 - Luka, Stefanie A1 - Meissner, Justus A1 - Müller, Josef A1 - Newton, Adrian A1 - Peppler-Lisbach, Cord A1 - Rosenthal, Gert A1 - van den Berg, Leon J. L. A1 - Vergeer, Philippine A1 - Wesche, Karsten T1 - Patterns of long-term vegetation change vary between different types of semi-natural grasslands in Western and Central Europe JF - Journal of vegetation science N2 - Questions Has plant species richness in semi-natural grasslands changed over recent decades? Do the temporal trends of habitat specialists differ from those of habitat generalists? Has there been a homogenization of the grassland vegetation? Location Different regions in Germany and the UK. Methods We conducted a formal meta-analysis of re-survey vegetation studies of semi-natural grasslands. In total, 23 data sets were compiled, spanning up to 75 years between the surveys, including 13 data sets from wet grasslands, six from dry grasslands and four from other grassland types. Edaphic conditions were assessed using mean Ellenberg indicator values for soil moisture, nitrogen and pH. Changes in species richness and environmental variables were evaluated using response ratios. Results In most wet grasslands, total species richness declined over time, while habitat specialists almost completely vanished. The number of species losses increased with increasing time between the surveys and were associated with a strong decrease in soil moisture and higher soil nutrient contents. Wet grasslands in nature reserves showed no such changes or even opposite trends. In dry grasslands and other grassland types, total species richness did not consistently change, but the number or proportions of habitat specialists declined. There were also considerable changes in species composition, especially in wet grasslands that often have been converted into intensively managed, highly productive meadows or pastures. We did not find a general homogenization of the vegetation in any of the grassland types. Conclusions The results document the widespread deterioration of semi-natural grasslands, especially of those types that can easily be transformed to high production grasslands. The main causes for the loss of grassland specialists are changed management in combination with increased fertilization and nitrogen deposition. Dry grasslands are most resistant to change, but also show a long-term trend towards an increase in more mesotrophic species. KW - dry grasslands KW - fragmentation KW - homogenization KW - management KW - meta-analysis KW - nitrogen deposition KW - quasi-permanent plot KW - re-survey KW - species richness KW - wet grasslands Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12727 SN - 1100-9233 SN - 1654-1103 VL - 30 IS - 2 SP - 187 EP - 202 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuch, Felipe B. A1 - Stubbs, Brendon A1 - Meyer, Jacob A1 - Heissel, Andreas A1 - Zech, Philipp A1 - Vancampfort, Davy A1 - Rosenbaum, Simon A1 - Deenik, Jeroen A1 - Firth, Joseph A1 - Ward, Philip B. A1 - Carvalho, Andre F. A1 - Hiles, Sarah A. T1 - Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies JF - Depression and anxiety N2 - Background Prospective cohorts have suggested that physical activity (PA) can decrease the risk of incident anxiety. However, no meta-analysis has been conducted. Aims To examine the prospective relationship between PA and incident anxiety and explore potential moderators. Methods Searches were conducted on major databases from inception to October 10, 2018 for prospective studies (at least 1 year of follow-up) that calculated the odds ratio (OR) of incident anxiety in people with high PA against people with low PA. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted and heterogeneity was explored using subgroup and meta-regression analysis. Results Across 14 cohorts of 13 unique prospective studies (N = 75,831, median males = 50.1%) followed for 357,424 person-years, people with high self-reported PA (versus low PA) were at reduced odds of developing anxiety (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.74; 95% confidence level [95% CI] = 0.62, 0.88; crude OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.69, 0.92). High self-reported PA was protective against the emergence of agoraphobia (AOR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.98) and posttraumatic stress disorder (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.39, 0.85). The protective effects for anxiety were evident in Asia (AOR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.10, 0.96) and Europe (AOR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.69, 0.97); for children/adolescents (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.29, 0.90) and adults (AOR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.69, 0.95). Results remained robust when adjusting for confounding factors. Overall study quality was moderate to high (mean NOS = 6.7 out of 9). Conclusion Evidence supports the notion that self-reported PA can confer protection against the emergence of anxiety regardless of demographic factors. In particular, higher PA levels protects from agoraphobia and posttraumatic disorder. KW - agoraphobia KW - anxiety KW - exercise KW - incidence KW - meta-analysis KW - panic KW - physical activity KW - posttraumatic stress disorder KW - protection Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22915 SN - 1091-4269 SN - 1520-6394 VL - 36 IS - 9 SP - 846 EP - 858 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Deeken, Friederike A1 - Rezo, Anna A1 - Hinz, Matthias A1 - Discher, Robert A1 - Rapp, Michael Armin T1 - Evaluation of technology-based interventions for informal caregivers of patients with dementia BT - a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials JF - The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry N2 - Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the efficacy of technology-based interventions for informal caregivers of people with dementia (PWD). Methods: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in August 2018, with no restrictions in language or publication date. Two independent reviewers identified 33 eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducting a technology-based intervention for informal carers of PWD. Meta-analyses for the outcome measures caregiver depression and caregiver burden were conducted with subgroup analyses according to mode of delivery (telephone, computer/web-based, combined interventions). To assess methodologic quality, the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment was rated. Results: Meta-analyses revealed a small but significant postintervention effect of technology-based interventions for caregiver depression and caregiver burden. Combined interventions showed the strongest effects. Conclusion: Technology-based interventions have the potential to support informal caregivers of PWD. Because of advantages such as high flexibility and availability, technology-based interventions provide a promising alternative compared with "traditional services," e.g., those for people living in rural areas. More high-quality RCTs for specific caregiver groups are needed. KW - Caregiver KW - dementia KW - technology KW - meta-analysis Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2018.12.003 SN - 1064-7481 SN - 1545-7214 VL - 27 IS - 4 SP - 426 EP - 445 PB - Elsevier CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jannasch, Franziska A1 - Kröger, Janine A1 - Agnoli, Claudia A1 - Barricarte, Aurelio A1 - Boeing, Heiner A1 - Cayssials, Valérie A1 - Colorado-Yohar, Sandra A1 - Dahm, Christina C. A1 - Dow, Courtney A1 - Fagherazzi, Guy A1 - Franks, Paul W. A1 - Freisling, Heinz A1 - Gunter, Marc J. A1 - Kerrison, Nicola D. A1 - Key, Timothy J. A1 - Khaw, Kay-Tee A1 - Kühn, Tilman A1 - Kyro, Cecilie A1 - Mancini, Francesca Romana A1 - Mokoroa, Olatz A1 - Nilsson, Peter A1 - Overvad, Kim A1 - Palli, Domenico A1 - Panico, Salvatore A1 - Quiros Garcia, Jose Ramon A1 - Rolandsson, Olov A1 - Sacerdote, Carlotta A1 - Sanchez, Maria-Jose A1 - Sahrai, Mohammad Sediq A1 - Schübel, Ruth A1 - Sluijs, Ivonne A1 - Spijkerman, Annemieke M. W. A1 - Tjonneland, Anne A1 - Tong, Tammy Y. N. A1 - Tumino, Rosario A1 - Riboli, Elio A1 - Langenberg, Claudia A1 - Sharp, Stephen J. A1 - Forouhi, Nita G. A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd A1 - Wareham, Nicholas J. T1 - Generalizability of a Diabetes-Associated Country-Specific Exploratory Dietary Pattern Is Feasible Across European Populations JF - The Journal of Nutrition N2 - Background: Population-specificity of exploratory dietary patterns limits their generalizability in investigations with type 2 diabetes incidence. Objective: The aim of this study was to derive country-specific exploratory dietary patterns, investigate their association with type 2 diabetes incidence, and replicate diabetes-associated dietary patterns in other countries. Methods: Dietary intake data were used, assessed by country-specific questionnaires at baseline of 11,183 incident diabetes cases and 14,694 subcohort members (mean age 52.9 y) from 8 countries, nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (mean follow-up time 6.9 y). Exploratory dietary patterns were derived by principal component analysis. HRs for incident type 2 diabetes were calculated by Prentice-weighted Cox proportional hazard regression models. Diabetes-associated dietary patterns were simplified or replicated to be applicable in other countries. A meta-analysis across all countries evaluated the generalizability of the diabetes-association. Results: Two dietary patterns per country/UK-center, of which overall 3 dietary patterns were diabetes-associated, were identified. A risk-lowering French dietary pattern was not confirmed across other countries: pooled HRFrance per 1 SD: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.10. Risk-increasing dietary patterns, derived in Spain and UK-Norfolk, were confirmed, but only the latter statistically significantly: HRSpain: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.22 and HRUK-Norfolk: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.20. Respectively, this dietary pattern was characterized by relatively high intakes of potatoes, processed meat, vegetable oils, sugar, cake and cookies, and tea. Conclusions: Only few country/center-specific dietary patterns (3 of 18) were statistically significantly associated with diabetes incidence in this multicountry European study population. One pattern, whose association with diabetes was confirmed across other countries, showed overlaps in the food groups potatoes and processed meat with identified diabetes-associated dietary patterns from other studies. The study demonstrates that replication of associations of exploratory patterns with health outcomes is feasible and a necessary step to overcome population-specificity in associations from such analyses. KW - dietary patterns KW - principal component analysis KW - diet-disease association KW - type 2 diabetes mellitus KW - replication KW - meta-analysis Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz031 SN - 0022-3166 SN - 1541-6100 VL - 149 IS - 6 SP - 1047 EP - 1055 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Slimani, Maamer A1 - Paravlic, Armin A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - A Meta-Analysis to Determine Strength Training Related Dose-Response Relationships for Lower-Limb Muscle Power Development in Young Athletes JF - Frontiers in Physiology N2 - It is well-documented that strength training (ST) improves measures of muscle strength in young athletes. Less is known on transfer effects of ST on proxies of muscle power and the underlying dose-response relationships. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to quantify the effects of ST on lower limb muscle power in young athletes and to provide dose-response relationships for ST modalities such as frequency, intensity, and volume. A systematic literature search of electronic databases identified 895 records. Studies were eligible for inclusion if (i) healthy trained children (girls aged 6–11 y, boys aged 6–13 y) or adolescents (girls aged 12–18 y, boys aged 14–18 y) were examined, (ii) ST was compared with an active control, and (iii) at least one proxy of muscle power [squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump height (CMJ)] was reported. Weighted mean standardized mean differences (SMDwm) between subjects were calculated. Based on the findings from 15 statistically aggregated studies, ST produced significant but small effects on CMJ height (SMDwm = 0.65; 95% CI 0.34–0.96) and moderate effects on SJ height (SMDwm = 0.80; 95% CI 0.23–1.37). The sub-analyses revealed that the moderating variable expertise level (CMJ height: p = 0.06; SJ height: N/A) did not significantly influence ST-related effects on proxies of muscle power. “Age” and “sex” moderated ST effects on SJ (p = 0.005) and CMJ height (p = 0.03), respectively. With regard to the dose-response relationships, findings from the meta-regression showed that none of the included training modalities predicted ST effects on CMJ height. For SJ height, the meta-regression indicated that the training modality “training duration” significantly predicted the observed gains (p = 0.02), with longer training durations (>8 weeks) showing larger improvements. This meta-analysis clearly proved the general effectiveness of ST on lower-limb muscle power in young athletes, irrespective of the moderating variables. Dose-response analyses revealed that longer training durations (>8 weeks) are more effective to improve SJ height. No such training modalities were found for CMJ height. Thus, there appear to be other training modalities besides the ones that were included in our analyses that may have an effect on SJ and particularly CMJ height. ST monitoring through rating of perceived exertion, movement velocity or force-velocity profile could be promising monitoring tools for lower-limb muscle power development in young athletes. KW - resistance training KW - muscle fitness KW - youth KW - meta-analysis KW - jump performance Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01155 SN - 1664-042X VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinzel, Stephan A1 - Lawrence, Jimmy B. A1 - Kallies, Gunnar A1 - Rapp, Michael Armin A1 - Heissel, Andreas T1 - Using Exercise to Fight Depression in Older Adults BT - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis JF - GeroPsych : the journal of gerontopsychology and geriatric psychiatry N2 - Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in the general population. Despite a large demand for efficient treatment options, the majority of older depressed adults does not receive adequate treatment: Additional low-threshold treatments are needed for this age group. Over the past two decades, a growing number of randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been conducted, testing the efficacy of physical exercise in the alleviation of depression in older adults. This meta-analysis systematically reviews and evaluates these studies; some subanalyses testing specific effects of different types of exercise and settings are also performed. In order to be included, exercise programs of the RCTs had to fulfill the criteria of exercise according to the American College of Sports Medicine, including a sample mean age of 60 or above and an increased level of depressive symptoms. Eighteen trials with 1,063 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria. A comparison of the posttreatment depression scores between the exercise and control groups revealed a moderate effect size in favor of the exercise groups (standardized mean difference (SMD) of –0.68, p < .001). The effect was comparable to the results achieved when only the eleven trials with low risk of bias were included (SMD = –0.63, p < .001). The subanalyses showed significant effects for all types of exercise and for supervised interventions. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that physical exercise may serve as a feasible, additional intervention to fight depression in older adults. However, because of small sample sizes of the majority of individual trials and high statistical heterogeneity, results must be interpreted carefully. KW - depression KW - exercise KW - older adults KW - meta-analysis KW - review Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000133 SN - 1662-9647 SN - 1662-971X VL - 28 SP - 149 EP - 162 PB - Hogrefe CY - Cambridge, Mass. ; Göttingen [u.a.] ER -