BackgroundAcupuncture has been widely used as a treatment for alcohol dependence. An updated and rigorously conducted systematic review is needed to establish the extent and quality of the evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture as an intervention for reducing alcohol dependence. This review aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of acupuncture for reducing alcohol dependence as assessed by changes in either craving or withdrawal symptoms.MethodsIn this systematic review, a search strategy was designed to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in either the English or Chinese literature, with a priori eligibility criteria. The following English language databases were searched from inception until June 2015: AMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PubMed; and the following Chinese language databases were similarly searched: CNKI, Sino-med, VIP, and WanFang. Methodological quality of identified RCTs was assessed using the Jadad Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.ResultsFifteen RCTs were included in this review, comprising 1378 participants. The majority of the RCTs were rated as having poor methodological rigour. A statistically significant effect was found in the two primary analyses: acupuncture reduced alcohol craving compared with all controls (SMD = −1.24, 95% CI = −1.96 to −0.51); and acupuncture reduced alcohol withdrawal symptoms compared with all controls (SMD = −0.50, 95% CI = −0.83 to −0.17). In secondary analyses: acupuncture reduced craving compared with sham acupuncture (SMD = −1.00, 95% CI = −1.79 to −0.21); acupuncture reduced craving compared with controls in RCTs conducted in Western countries (SMD = −1.15, 95% CI = −2.12 to −0.18); and acupuncture reduced craving compared with controls in RCTs with only male participants (SMD = −1.68, 95% CI = −2.62 to −0.75).ConclusionThis study showed that acupuncture was potentially effective in reducing alcohol craving and withdrawal symptoms and could be considered as an additional treatment choice and/or referral option within national healthcare systems.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13020-016-0119-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: The worldwide prevalence of paternal perinatal anxiety (PPA) ranges between 3.4% and 25.0% antenatally, and 2.4% and 51.0% postnatally. Experiencing PPA can adversely impact the individual, partners, and infants. Research concerning PPA is lagging and fragmented compared to research for new mothers. Objectives: To establish the effectiveness of prevention or treatment interventions for PPA in adults identifying as male. Data sources: We completed searches of Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science from inception to 2 December 2021, as well as hand searches of references from relevant papers. Search selection and data extraction: Randomised controlled trials delivering prevention or treatment interventions and reporting anxiety outcomes for new/expectant fathers in the perinatal mental health period were included. Our review follows the PRISMA reporting guidelines. One reviewer independently screened 5170 titles/abstracts; second reviewers screened 50%. Two reviewers independently screened full text, extracted data, and conducted risk of bias assessments. Synthesis: Cochrane’s collaboration tool 2 was used to assess quality. Primarily results are synthesised narratively, a post-hoc sub-group analysis was completed on four studies using the same outcome measure. Main results: Twelve of the 5170 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies used psychoeducational or practical skills interventions. Interventions mostly involved couple-dyads and three studies assessed PPA as a primary outcome. Included interventions were prevention-based; no treatment interventions were found. Father-only interventions consistently reported a significant reduction of PPA. Conclusions: Systematic searching yielded no treatment interventions, highlighting a substantial gap in the evidence base. Within a limited and heterogenous sample, no studies targeted diagnosed PPA. Evidence suggested father-focused interventions may be effective in preventing PPA, regardless of the intervention delivery mode or intervention content. However, consistency between study design and options within the field are lacking compared to interventions available for mothers.

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