A Systematic Review of Loneliness Interventions Among Non-elderly Adults

Bessaha, Melissa L.; Sabbath, Erika L.; Morris, Zachary A.; Malik, Sana; Scheinfeld, Laurel; Saragossi, Jamie

doi:10.1007/s10615-019-00724-0

Cited by 64 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…These calls can last from fifteen to forty-five minutes, are made at the same time by the same student, and are generally unstructured and designed to foster friendship. The unstructured nature of the phone calls is consistent with the project not providing therapy but companionship, which accords with prior evidence-based anti-loneliness interventions (Bessaha et al, 2020). Though a formal evaluation of the project and its impact on loneliness and isolation remains as a working item for the students, the project team has received anecdotal feedback suggesting that the telephone-based interactions are creating valuable social connections and reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness.…”

Section: Giftsofgaborgsupporting

confidence: 61%

Isolation in the midst of a pandemic: social work students rapidly respond to community and field work needs

Morris

Dragone

Peabody

et al. 2020

Social Work Education

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In the midst of a pandemic, many social work students are currently displaced from their field education, while the needs of their communities are exacerbated. Due to stay-at-home orders, the risk of experiencing social isolation and loneliness, already a major social problem prior to the crisis, has increased, especially for older adults. Seeking to step up in the context of a public emergency, graduate social work students in the United States created a project called GiftsofGab.org, which is a volunteer call-based companion coordination project that connects social work students with those in need of social interaction. We provide a case study of this project and argue that this kind of student-initiated action learning project can provide a workable alternative field placement model in times of crisis and is consistent with the community practice mission of social work.

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Section: Giftsofgaborgsupporting

confidence: 61%

Isolation in the midst of a pandemic: social work students rapidly respond to community and field work needs

Morris

Dragone

Peabody

et al. 2020

Social Work Education

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“…However, the weak to modest correlations between indicators of low social connectedness among adults with and without disability suggests that interventions to reduce loneliness will need to do much more than simply increase rates of social contact or social support. 40 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness, social support, social isolation and wellbeing among working age adults with and without disability: Cross-sectional study

Emerson

Fortune

Llewellyn

et al. 2021

Disability and Health Journal

196

116

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Background Loneliness is significantly related to health and wellbeing. However, there is little information on the prevalence of loneliness among people with disability or the association between disability, loneliness and wellbeing. Objective/hypothesis For a nationally representative sample of adults (age 16–64) with/without disability, to examine exposure to three indicators of low social connectedness (loneliness, low perceived social support, social isolation), and to evaluate the association between low social connectedness and wellbeing. To test whether disability status moderated the relationship between low social connectedness and wellbeing. Methods Secondary analysis of data from three annual rounds of the cross-sectional English Community Life Survey (CLS) 2016–19. Results People with disability experienced loneliness, low perceived social support and social isolation at significantly higher rates than people without disability. Effect sizes were significantly greater for loneliness. Disability was associated with lower wellbeing. With one exception, low social connectedness was associated with lower wellbeing. Again, effect sizes were significantly greater for loneliness. The prevalence of loneliness was highest among adults with disability who were younger, economically inactive, living in rented or other accommodation, living alone and with low levels of access to environmental assets. There was no evidence that disability status moderated the association between exposure to low social connectedness and low wellbeing. Conclusions Loneliness was a particularly significant driver of poor wellbeing among people with disability. The relative independence between different indicators of social connectedness suggests that interventions to reduce loneliness will need to do more than simply increase rates of social contact or social support.

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“…Despite recent research demonstrating that 18-22 year olds report higher loneliness than any other generation, most loneliness interventions have been designed for older adults [ 84 ]. Systematic reviews of prior loneliness interventions identified a need for theoretically driven and rigorously evaluated interventions for loneliness in younger populations [ 43 , 84 ]. Our randomized controlled design and use of theory-driven strategies to reduce loneliness in college students helps to fill a significant gap in the research literature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smartphone App to Address Loneliness Among College Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Bruehlman-Senecal¹,

Hook²,

Pfeifer³

et al. 2020

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Loneliness is a widespread and significant problem on college campuses. Prolonged loneliness in young adulthood is a risk factor for concurrent and future mental health problems and attrition, making college a critical time for support. Cognitive and behavioral interventions show promise for decreasing loneliness and can be widely disseminated through technology. Objective This pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the initial efficacy, feasibility, and desirability of a smartphone app, Nod, designed to deliver cognitive and behavioral skill-building exercises to reduce loneliness during the transition to college. Methods First-year college students (N=221, mean age 18.7 years, 59% female) were recruited online during incoming student orientation, and randomized to either receive immediate access to Nod (experimental group, n=100) or access after 4 weeks (control group, n=121). The app delivered skills via fully automated (1) “social challenges,” suggested activities designed to build social connections; (2) reflections, brief cognitive reframing exercises; and (3) student testimonials that encouraged a growth mindset toward social connection building. Main intention-to-treat analyses were used to compare the conditions on self-assessed loneliness, depressive symptoms, and other mental health and college adjustment outcomes at week 4, controlling for baseline values on those variables. Analyses were also performed to test the hypothesis that the treatment benefits would be particularly pronounced for participants with heightened psychological vulnerability at baseline (ie, higher baseline depressive symptoms and loneliness). Results Retention was 97% at week 4, and participants viewed an average 36.7 pages of app content. There were no significant condition differences in loneliness at week 4 (F1, 211=0.05, P=.82; ηp2 <.001). However, there was a significant condition-by-baseline depression interaction to predict week-4 loneliness (F1,209=9.65, P=.002; ηp2 =.04). Simple slope analyses indicated that baseline depression positively predicted week-4 loneliness among control participants (r=0.30, t209=3.81, P<.001), but not among experimental participants (r=–0.09, t209=–0.84, P=.40), suggesting that Nod buffered participants with high baseline depression scores from experiencing heightened midquarter loneliness. Similarly, there were no significant condition differences in other week-4 outcomes. However, moderation by baseline vulnerability was found for week-4 depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and indices of college adjustment (eg, perceived social support and campus belonging). Conclusions Although Nod exposure did not impact outcomes for the full sample, these results provide initial evidence of its benefit for vulnerable students. The results of this trial suggest that cognitive and behavioral skills delivered via a mobile app can buffer psychologically vulnerable college students against heightened loneliness and depressive symptoms, as well as other negative college adjustment outcomes. Future work will aim to improve upon app engagement, and to address loneliness among other key populations. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04164654; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04164654

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A Systematic Review of Loneliness Interventions Among Non-elderly Adults

Cited by 64 publications

References 78 publications

Isolation in the midst of a pandemic: social work students rapidly respond to community and field work needs

Isolation in the midst of a pandemic: social work students rapidly respond to community and field work needs

Loneliness, social support, social isolation and wellbeing among working age adults with and without disability: Cross-sectional study

Smartphone App to Address Loneliness Among College Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

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