8,780
Views
127
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Reducing loneliness amongst older people: a systematic search and narrative review

, , &
Pages 683-693 | Received 17 Jun 2013, Accepted 09 Dec 2013, Published online: 17 Jan 2014

References

  • Aday, R.H., Kehoe, G.C., & Farney, L.A. (2006). Impact of senior center friendships on aging women who live alone. Journal of Women & Aging, 18(1), 57–73.
  • Andersson, L. (1998). Loneliness research and interventions: A review of the literature. Aging & Mental Health, 2(4), 264–274.
  • Andrews, G.J., Gavin, N., Begley, S., & Brodie, D. (2003). Assisting friendships, combating loneliness: Users’ views on a ‘befriending’ scheme. Ageing and Society, 23(3), 349–362.
  • Anstadt, S.P., & Byster, D. (2009). Intergenerational groups: Rediscovering our legacy advances in social work. Advances in Social Work, 10(1), 39–50.
  • Banks, M.R., Willoughby, L.M., & Banks, W.A. (2008). Animal-assisted therapy and loneliness in nursing homes: Use of robotic versus living dogs. Journal of the American Directors Association, 9(3), 173–177.
  • Baum, W. (2010). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: What it is, how it helps. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/crisis-knocks/201003/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-what-it-is-how-it-helps (accessed 13 May 2013).
  • Bekhet, A.K., & Zauszniewski, J.A. (2012). Mental health of elders in retirement communities: Is loneliness a key factor? Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 26(3), 214–224.
  • Bell, C.S., Fain, E., Daub, J., Warren, S.H., Howell, S.H., Southard, K.S., … Shadoin, H. (2011). Effects of Nintendo Wii on quality of life, social relationships, and confidence to prevent falls. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 29(3), 213–221.
  • Butler, S.S. (2006). Evaluating the senior companion program. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 47(1–2), 45–70.
  • Cacioppo, J.T., Hughes, M.E., Waite, L.J., Hawkley, L.C., & Thisted, R.A. (2006). Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Psychology and Aging, 21(1), 140–151.
  • Cattan, M., Kime, N., & Bagnall, A.M. (2011). The use of telephone befriending in low level support for socially isolated older people – an evaluation. Health and Social Care in the Community, 19(2), 198–206.
  • Cattan, M., White, M., Bond, J., & Learmouth, A. (2005). Preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people: A systematic review of health promotion interventions. Ageing & Society, 25, 41–67.
  • Cornwell, E.Y., & Waite, L.J. (2009). Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and health among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50(1), 31–48.
  • Creswell, J.D., Irwin, M.R., Burklund, L.J., Lieberman, M.D., Arevalo, J.M.G., Mab, J., … Cole, S.W. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults: A small randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 26, 1095–1101.
  • de Jong Gierveld, J. (1998). A review of loneliness: Concept and definitions, determinants and consequences. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 8, 73–80.
  • Dickens, A.P., Richards, S.H., Hawton, A., Taylor, R.S., Greaves, C.J., Green, C., … Campbell, J.L. (2011). An evaluation of the effectiveness of a community mentoring service for socially isolated older people: A controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 11(218), 1–14.
  • Drageset, J., Espehaug, B., & Kirkevold, M. (2012). The impact of depression and sense of coherence on emotional and social loneliness among nursing home residents without cognitive impairment – a questionnaire survey. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21, 965–974.
  • Dykstra, P.A., van Tilburg, T.G., & de Jong Gierveld, J. (2005). Changes in Older Adult Loneliness: Results from a Seven-Year Longitudinal Study. Research on Aging, 27, 725–747.
  • Findlay, R.A. (2003). Interventions to reduce social isolation amongst older people: Where is the evidence? Ageing and Society, 23(5), 647–658.
  • Fischer, C.S., & Phillips, S.L. (1982). Who is alone? Social characteristics of people with small networks. In L.A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Franklin, A.S. (2009). On loneliness. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 91(4), 343–354.
  • Gleibs, I.H., Haslam, C., Jones, J.M., Haslam, S.A., McNeill, J., & Connolly, H. (2011). No country for old men? The role of a ‘Gentlemen's Club’ in promoting social engagement and psychological well-being in residential care. Aging & Mental Health, 15(4), 456–466.
  • Golden, J., Conroy, R.M., Bruce, I., Denihan, A., Greene, E., Kirby, M., & Lawlor, B.A. (2009). Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24, 694–700.
  • Greaves, C., & Farbus, L. (2006). Effects of creative and social activity on the health and well-being of socially isolated older people: Outcomes from a multi-method observational study. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 126(3), 134–142.
  • Griffin, J. (2010). The lonely society? London: Mental Health Foundation.
  • Häfner, S., Emeny, R.T., Lacruz, M.E., Baumert, J., Herder, C., Koenig, W., … Ladwig, K.H. (2011). Association between social isolation and inflammatory markers in depressed and non-depressed individuals: Results from the MONICA/KORA study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 25, 1701–1707.
  • Hawkley, L.C., Preacher, K.J., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2007). Multilevel modeling of social interactions and mood in lonely and socially connected individuals: The MacArthur social neuroscience studies. In A.D. Ong & M. van Dulmen (Eds.), Oxford handbook of methods inppositive psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Hensley, B., Martin, P., Margrett, J.A., MacDonald, M., Siegler, I.C., Poon, L.W., & The Georgia Centenarian Study. (2012). Life events and personality predicting loneliness among centenarians: Findings from the Georgia centenarian study. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 146(1–2), 173–188.
  • Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., & Layton, J.B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), 1–20 ( e1000316).
  • Iecovich, E., & Biderman, A. (2012). Attendance in adult day care centers and its relation to loneliness among frail older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 24(3), 439–448.
  • Iliffe, S., Kharicha, K., Harari, D., Swift, C., Gillmann, G., & Stuck, A.E. (2007). Health risk appraisal in older people 2: The implications for clinicians and commissioners of social isolation risk in older people. British Journal of General Practice, 57, 277–282.
  • Kahlbaugh, P.E., Sperandio, A.J., Carlson, A.L., & Hauselt, J. (2011). Effects of Playing Wii on well-being in the elderly: Physical activity, loneliness, and mood. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 35(4), 331–344.
  • Kobayashi, K.M., Cloutier-Fisher, D., & Roth, M. (2008). Making meaningful connections: A profile of social isolation and health among older adults in small town and small city, British Columbia. Journal of Aging and Health, 21(2), 374–397.
  • Kremers, I.P., Steverink, N., Albersnagel, F.A., & Slaets, J.P.J. (2006). Improved self-management ability and well-being in older women after a short group intervention. Aging & Mental Health, 10(5), 476–484.
  • Kremers, I.P., Steverink, N., Albersnagel, F.A., & Slaets, J.P.J. (2007). Single older women who applied for the giving life more LUSTRE course: Are they the target group that was aimed for? Educational Gerontology, 33(1), 45–61.
  • La Grow, S., Neville, S., Alpass, F., & Rodgers, V. (2012). Loneliness and self-reported health among older persons in New Zealand. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 31(2), 121–123.
  • Lilja, M., Bergh, A., Johansson, L., & Nygard, L. (2003). Attitudes towards rehabilitation needs and support from assistive technology and the social environment among elderly people with disability. Occupational Therapy International, 10(1), 75–93.
  • Losada, A., Marquez-Gonzalez, M., Garcia-Ortiz, L., Gomez-Marcos, M.A., Fernandez-Fernandez, V., & Rodriguez-Sanchez, E. (2012). Loneliness and mental health in a representative sample of community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The Journal of Psychology, 146(3), 277–292.
  • Luo, Y., Hawkley, L.C., Waite, L.J., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2012). Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal study. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 907–914.
  • McFadden, P., Taylor, B.J., Campbell, A., & McQuilkin, J. (2012). Systematically identifying relevant research: Case study on child protection social workers’ resilience. Research on Social Work Practice, 22(6), 626–636.
  • Martina, C.M.S., & Stevens, N.L. (2006). Breaking the cycle of loneliness? Psychological effects of a friendship enrichment program for older women. Aging & Mental Health, 10(5), 467–475.
  • Masi, C.M., Chen, H-Y, Hawkley, L.C., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2011). A meta-analysis of interventions to reduce loneliness. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 219–266.
  • Meyer, D., Marx, T., & Ball-Seiter, V. (2010). Social isolation and telecommunication in the nursing home: A pilot study. Gerontechnology, 10(1), 51–58.
  • Minkler, M., Frantz, S., & Wechsler, R. (2006). Social support and social action organizing in a ‘Grey Ghetto’: The tenderloin experience. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 25(1–2), 49–61.
  • Nummela, O., Seppanen, M., & Utela, A. (2011). The effect of loneliness and change in loneliness on self-rated health (SRH): A longitudinal study among aging people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 53, 163–167.
  • O’Luanaigh, C., & Lawlor, B.A. (2008). Loneliness and the health of older people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 1213–1221.
  • Palgi, Y., Shrira, A., Ben-Ezra, M., Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Ayalon, L. (2012). Self- and other-oriented potential lifetime traumatic events as predictors of loneliness in the second half of life. Aging & Mental Health, 16(4), 423–430.
  • Patterson, A.C., & Veenstra, G. (2010). Loneliness and risk of mortality: A longitudinal investigation in Alameda County, California. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 181–186.
  • Peplau, L.A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Perspectives on loneliness. In L.A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Rius-Ottenheim, N., Kromhout, D., van der Mast, R.C., Zitman, F.G., Geleijnse, J.M., & Giltay, E.J. (2011). Dispositional optimism and loneliness in older men. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 27, 151–159.
  • Routasalo, P.E., Savikko, N., Tilvis, R.S., Strandberg, T.E., & Pitkala, K.H. (2006). Social contacts and their relationship to loneliness among aged people – a population-based study. Gerontology, 52, 181–187.
  • Routasalo, P.E., Tilvis, R.S., Kautiainen, H., & Pitkala, K.H. (2009). Effects of psychosocial group rehabilitation on social functioning, loneliness and well-being of lonely, older people: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(2), 297–305.
  • Russell, D.W. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (version 3): Reliability, validity and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(1), 20–40.
  • Savikko, N., Routasalo, P.E., Tilvis, R.S., & Pitkala, K.H. (2010). Psychosocial group rehabilitation for lonely older people: Favourable processes and mediating factors of the intervention leading to alleviated loneliness. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 5, 16–24.
  • Savikko, N., Routasalo, P., Tilvis, R.S., Strandberg, T.E., & Pitkala, K.H. (2005). Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged population. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 41, 223–233.
  • Stek, M.L., Gussekloo, J., Beekmana, A.T.F., van Tilburg, W., & Westendorp, R.G.J. (2004). Prevalence, correlates and recognition of depression in the oldest old: The Leiden 85-plus study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 78, 193–200.
  • Sum, S., Mathews, M., Pourghasem, M., & Hughes, I. (2009). Internet use as a predictor of sense of community in older people. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(2), 235–239.
  • Taylor, B.J. (2012). Intervention research. In M. Gray, J. Midgley, & S. Webb (Eds.), Social work handbook. New York, NY: Sage.
  • Taylor, B.J., Dempster, M., & Donnelly, M. (2003). Hidden gems: Systematically searching electronic databases for research publications for social work and social care. British Journal of Social Work, 33, 423–439.
  • Taylor, B.J., Wyle, E., Dempster, M., & Donnelly, M. (2007). Systematically retrieving research: A case study evaluating seven databases. Research on Social Work Practice, 17(6), 697–706.
  • Tijhuis, M.A.R., De Jong Gierveld, J., Feskens, E.J.M., & Kromhout, D. (1999). Changes in and factors relating to loneliness in older men: The Zutphen elderly study. Age and Ageing, 28, 491–495.
  • Tilvis, R.S., Routasalo, P., Karppinen, H., Strandberg, T.E., Kautiainen, H., & Pitkala, K.H. (2012). Social isolation, social activity and loneliness as survival indicators in old age: A nationwide survey with a 7-year follow-up. European Geriatric Medicine, 3, 18–22.
  • Tsai, H.H., & Tsai, Y.F. (2011). Changes in depressive symptoms, social support, and loneliness over 1 year after a minimum 3-month videoconference program for older nursing home residents. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 13(4), e93.
  • Tse, T., & Howie, L. (2005). Adult day groups: Addressing older people's needs for activity and companionship. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 24(3), 134–140.
  • Victor, C.R., Scambler, S., & Bond, J. (2009). The social world of older people: Understanding loneliness and social isolation in later life. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
  • Weiss, R. (1973). Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Wenger, G.C., Davies, R., Shahtahmasebi, S., & Scott, A. (1996). Social isolation and loneliness in old age: Review and model refinement. Ageing and Society, 16, 333–358.
  • Winningham, R.G., & Pike, N.L. (2007). A cognitive intervention to enhance institutionalized older adults’ social support networks and decrease loneliness. Aging & Mental Health, 11(6), 716–721.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.