Effectiveness of a Peer-Based Intervention on Socially Isolated Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Social isolation is a key concern for immigrant older adults. We examined the effectiveness of a peer-based intervention in reducing loneliness, social isolation, and improving psychosocial well-being with a sample of aging Chinese immigrants. Methods: Sixty community-dwelling older Chinese immigrants aged 65 and older were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group (n=30 each). Intervention group participants received an eight-week peer support intervention. Twenty-four volunteers aged 48 to 76 engaged in two-on-one peer support through home visits and telephone calls to provide emotional support, problem-solving support, and community resource sharing. An randomized control trial design was used to capture the changes of both the intervention group and the control group participants in a range of psychosocial outcomes including loneliness, social support, barriers to social participation, depressive symptoms, anxiety, life satisfaction, happiness, and purpose in life. Results: The intervention group participants showed a decrease in loneliness and increase in resilience when compared to control group participants. They reported fewer depressive symptoms, fewer barriers to social participation, increased life satisfaction, and happiness while no such improvements were observed in the control group. Conclusions: There is a need to further examine the use of peer-based interventions for both program effectiveness and delivery efficiency. In the era of population aging and increasing immigration, diverse aging adults can be trained to fill volunteer support roles via peer-based intervention approaches. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN14572069, Registered 23 December 2019 – Retrospectively registered, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14572069 Funding: There are no external funding for this study.