JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Loneliness is a serious public health issue and its burden is increasing in many countries. Loneliness affects social, physical and mental health and it is associated with multi morbidity and premature mortality. In addition to social interventions, a range of digital technology interventions (DTIs) are being used to tackle loneliness. There is however limited evidence on the efficacy of DTIs to reduce loneliness. The effectiveness of DTIs to reduce loneliness needs to be assessed systematically.

Objective:

The objective was to review the effectiveness of digital technology interventions (DTIs) in reducing loneliness in (older) adults.

Methods:

Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE and Web of Science for empirical studies published in the English language from 1 January 2010 to 31 July 2019. We selected primary studies that used DTIs for tackling loneliness in adults (aged ≥18 years) with a minimum Intervention duration and follow-up period of three months. Two researchers independently screened articles and extracted data on using the participant, intervention, comparator and outcome framework. The primary outcome variable was loneliness. Quantitative data on loneliness in the intervention and control groups at the baseline and follow-up measurements at three, four, six and twelve months after the intervention was extracted for meta-analysis in the RevMan software.

Results:

Six studies were selected from 4939 articles screened. Selected studies included 5 clinical trials (4 randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and 1 quasi experimental study) and one before and after study. Total enrolled participants were 646 (men =154, 24%, women =427, 66%, no gender information =65, 10%) with average age between 73 and 78 years (SD 6-11). Five clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis and standardised mean differences (SMD) were calculated for each trial and pooled across studies using a random effects model. The overall effect estimates were not statistically significant in follow-up measurements at three months (SMD= 0.02, 95% CI= -0.36, 0.40; P=.92), four months (SMDs= -1.11, 95% CI= -2.60, 0.38; P=.14) and six months (SMD= -0.11, 95% CI= -0.54, 0.32; P=.61). The quality of evidence was very low to moderate in these trials.

Conclusions:

Our meta-analysis shows no evidence for the effectiveness of digital technology intervention to reduce loneliness in (older) adults. Future research may consider RCTs with larger sample sizes and longer duration of interventions and follow-up. Clinical Trial: Not applicable