SynthesisBMJ open2021
Potential impact of physical distancing on physical and mental health: a rapid narrative umbrella review of meta-analyses on the link between social connection and health.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Communication to promote and support physical distancing for COVID-19 prevention and control: a rapid reviewThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Perceived connectedness during the perinatal period: Implications for parent and child well-being.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Review
- Observational
- Climate change and social health.Nature human behaviour · 2026Review
- Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with solid malignancies and bone metastases (PsyCO-B): a multicentre prospective observational study.Journal of bone oncology · 2026Article
- Assessing the association of physical distancing to avoid COVID-19 with health-related quality of life in immunocompromised adults: results from the cross-sectional observational EAGLE study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Social Determinants of Health and HIV Diagnosis Rates in U.S. Counties, Comparing Ending the Epidemic (EHE) and Non-EHE Priority Jurisdictions.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Article
- Loneliness and its associated factors in older Australians residing in retirement living communities: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Educational differences in mental health-related quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: the mediating role of pandemic-induced psychosocial stress.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Non-pharmaceutical interventions: evaluating challenges and priorities for future health shocks.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Article
- Social distancing stress, anxiety/depression, COVID-19 diagnosis, gender identity, and immigration status.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- SIR+ models: accounting for interaction-dependent disease susceptibility in the planning of public health interventions.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A psychological insight of Moroccan adults' immunisation behaviour towards emergency vaccines.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- A longitudinal cohort study on the use of health and care services by older adults living at home with/without dementia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: the HUNT study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Article
- Participants' perspectives of "NeuroSask: Active and Connect"-a virtual chronic disease management program for individuals with a neurological condition.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- (Fire)fighting the pandemic: PTSD and depression symptom profiles and longitudinal correlates.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Article
- Web-Based Presence for Social Connectedness in Long-Term Care: Protocol for a Qualitative Multimethods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Factors associated with perceived fear of future pandemics and/or epidemics: a cross-sectional study in Cyprus.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe imperative for physical distancing (mostly referred to as social distancing) during COVID-19 pandemic may deteriorate physical and mental health. We aimed at summarising the strength of evidence in the published literature on the association of physical and mental health with social connection via social isolation, living alone and loneliness.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search in April 2020 to identify meta-analyses using the Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The search strategy included terms of social isolation, loneliness, living alone and meta-analysis. Eligible meta-analyses needed to report any sort of association between an indicator of social connection and any physical or mental health outcome. The findings were summarised in a narrative synthesis.
resultsTwenty-five meta-analyses met our criteria, of which 10 focused on physical health and 15 on mental health outcomes. The results suggest that lack of social connection is associated with chronic physical symptoms, frailty, coronary heart disease, malnutrition, hospital readmission, reduced vaccine uptake, early mortality, depression, social anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment in later life and suicidal ideation.
conclusionsThe existing evidence clearly indicates that social connection is associated with a range of poor physical and mental health outcomes. A potential negative impact on these outcomes needs to be considered in future decisions on physical distancing measures.
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Registered trials
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.