SynthesisSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2020
The effectiveness of interventions for reducing subjective and objective social isolation among people with mental health problems: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions against loneliness and social isolation in older adults- a systematic review.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Loneliness without an epidemic: gendered pathways, health consequences, and intervention gaps among men in the United States.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Social connection interventions and depression in young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Pooled it
- Tackling social disconnection: an umbrella review of RCT-based interventions targeting social isolation and loneliness.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- The experience of loneliness among people with psychosis: Qualitative meta-synthesis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Health Care Utilization Following Interventions to Improve Social Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Loneliness in autistic adults: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2022Pooled it
- Interventions to improve social connections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- Loneliness as an active ingredient in preventing or alleviating youth anxiety and depression: a critical interpretative synthesis incorporating principles from rapid realist reviews.Translational psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Nonpharmacological Treatment for Supporting Social Participation of Adults with Depression.Occupational therapy international · 2021Pooled it
- The experience of loneliness among young people with depression: a qualitative meta-synthesis of the literature.BMC psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- The effects of the Unified Protocol and Unified Protocol skills on loneliness in the COVID-19 pandemic.Depression and anxiety · 2022Trial
- Behavioural activation to prevent depression and loneliness among socially isolated older people with long-term conditions: The BASIL COVID-19 pilot randomised controlled trial.PLoS medicine · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Experiences of friendships of young people with first-episode psychosis: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Social support as the protector of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Population-based longitudinal evidence across pre- and post-vaccine phases.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Social inclusion of people with severe mental illness: a review of current practices, evidence and unmet needs, and future directions.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Physical activity and psychosocial profiles associated with mental health risk in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeSubjective and objective social isolation are important factors contributing to both physical and mental health problems, including premature mortality and depression. This systematic review evaluated the current evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to improve subjective and/or objective social isolation for people with mental health problems. Primary outcomes of interest included loneliness, perceived social support, and objective social isolation.
methodsThree databases were searched for relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were included if they evaluated interventions for people with mental health problems and had objective and/or subjective social isolation (including loneliness) as their primary outcome, or as one of a number of outcomes with none identified as primary.
resultsIn total, 30 RCTs met the review's inclusion criteria: 15 included subjective social isolation as an outcome and 11 included objective social isolation. The remaining four evaluated both outcomes. There was considerable variability between trials in types of intervention and participants' characteristics. Significant results were reported in a minority of trials, but methodological limitations, such as small sample size, restricted conclusions from many studies.
conclusionThe evidence is not yet strong enough to make specific recommendations for practice. Preliminary evidence suggests that promising interventions may include cognitive modification for subjective social isolation, and interventions with mixed strategies and supported socialisation for objective social isolation. We highlight the need for more thorough, theory-driven intervention development and for well-designed and adequately powered RCTs.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.