Reducing loneliness and depressive symptoms in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pre-post evaluation of a psychosocial online intervention.

Autor: Gabarrell-Pascuet A; Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.; Department of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain., Coll-Planas L; Research group on Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Centre for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Barcelona, Spain.; Institute for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences and Health in Central Catalonia (IRIS-CC), Vic, Spain., Alias SB; Fundació Salut i Envelliment UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain., Pascual RM; Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain., Haro JM; Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain., Domènech-Abella J; Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2024 Dec 13; Vol. 19 (12), pp. e0311883. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 13 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311883
Abstrakt: Background: Loneliness is related to worse mental health, particularly in people with poor social support. The COVID-19 pandemic altered our lives and ways of social interaction, especially among vulnerable populations such as older adults.
Methods: We designed a group-based psychosocial online intervention for older adults (≥ 65 years) facilitated by gerontologists addressing loneliness consisting of: (i) sharing experiences and promoting peer support to overcome feelings of loneliness and (ii) increasing the chances of establishing successful social relationships. This was a feasibility non-controlled prospective pilot study carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic with a pre-post evaluation. Interviews before and after the intervention assessed loneliness (emotional and social), social support, depressive and anxiety symptoms, quality of life, and perceived health. Groups of 6-8 participants and 2 facilitators met once a week for 8 weeks through videoconferencing. The intervention effectiveness was assessed with multilevel models for repeated measures.
Results: The study sample (N = 27) was mainly composed of females (74%) and the mean age was 74.26 years. 21 participants completed the intervention (22% drop-out rate). Statistically significant (p<0.01) decreases in emotional loneliness and depressive symptoms were observed following the intervention. Qualitatively, participants positively evaluated the intervention and found in the group a space for personal growth where they could meet new people and express themselves with confidence and security.
Conclusions: Interventions overcoming social distancing restrictions through online tools and targeting vulnerable population sectors (e.g., older adults) can become essential to lessen the collateral consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on social behaviour and mental health.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2024 Gabarrell-Pascuet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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