Investigating the reporting of participant characteristics relating to health equity in randomised controlled trials of non-pharmacological interventions for post-stroke anxiety and/or depression: a scoping review.

Purpose: The review aims to identify what characteristics are reported in randomised controlled trials for the non-pharmacological management of post-stroke anxiety and/or depression and whether research has explored the correlation between participant characteristics and their outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was completed of five databases: CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and The World Health Organisation. Google Scholar was also accessed. The reporting of participant characteristics was assessed by adapting the PROGRESS-Plus framework, a research framework of protected characteristics known to impact health equity (such as, age).

Results: 19 papers (n = 2187) were included. There was generally poor reporting of characteristics associated with an increased likelihood of post-stroke anxiety and/or depression. All studies reported the gender/sex of participants, 18 studies reported the age of participants, and 11 studies reported lesion location. None of the studies reported the sexual orientation or pre-existing disabilities of participants.

Conclusion: There was variation in the reporting and analyses of protected characteristics. Future research should follow a health equity framework to ensure reporting of protected characteristics to support clinicians in identifying whether the proposed interventions are relevant to their stroke population and consider undergoing subgroup analyses to compare outcomes across protected characteristics.