ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2021
A peer intervention reduces loneliness and improves social well-being in low-income older adults: A mixed-methods study.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
27 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Additional interventions for enhancing the quality-of-life of older adults using hearing aids: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- What works in interventions targeting loneliness: a systematic review of intervention characteristics.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Loneliness, Self-Efficacy and Adaptive Coping: Mixed Methods Analysis of Mediation in a Peer Support Intervention for Depression.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2025Trial
- A Mixed Methods Effectiveness Study of a Peer Support Intervention for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Interventions to Improve Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- Loneliness in the End-of-Life: Now What?Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- A Virtual Tai Chi Intervention for Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities: Results from a Single-Arm Clinical Trial with the TechSAge Tele Tai Chi Program.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital technologies in care for older adults living alone: a scoping review.Innovation in aging · 2026Review
- Loneliness and Risk of 30-Day Hospital Readmission After Acute Myocardial Infarction.Medical care · 2025Article
- Recent Innovations in Peer Programs for Socially Isolated Older Adults: Implications for Public Health Emergency Preparedness.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Healthcare providers' perceived importance and barriers to addressing social connection in medical settings.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Article
- A qualitative evaluation of a partnership between a local authority and community organisations to improve mental health and wellbeing.Discover public health · 2025Article
- Training of Peer Coaches to Assist Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis Prepare and Recover From Total Knee Replacement.ACR open rheumatology · 2024Article
- A blended group intervention to promote social connectedness and wellbeing among international university students: an exploratory study.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among minority ethnic populations in OECD countries: A scoping review.PloS one · 2024Article
- Racial/Ethnic Differences in Loneliness Among Older Adults: The Role of Income and Education as Mediators.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- Pilot testing the Engaging Generations (eGen) Program to address social well-being among lower-income older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- National Prevalence of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2023Article
- Geroscience: Aging and Oral Health Research.Advances in dental research · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEvidence-based interventions addressing loneliness and social isolation are needed, including among low-income, community-dwelling older adults of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Our objective was to assess the effect of a peer intervention in addressing loneliness, isolation, and behavioral health needs in this population.
methodsWe conducted a mixed-method, two-year longitudinal study of a peer-outreach intervention in 74 low-income older adults recruited via an urban senior center in San Francisco. Structured participant surveys were conducted at baseline and every 6 months for up to 2 years. Outcomes included loneliness (3-item UCLA loneliness scale), social interaction (10-item Duke index), self-perceived socializing barriers (range: 0-10), and depression (PHQ-2 screen). Data were analyzed using mixed-effects linear and logistic regression adjusted for age and gender. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with participants (N = 15) and peers (N = 6) were conducted in English and Spanish and analyzed thematically.
resultsParticipants were on average 71 years old (range: 59-96 years), with 58% male, 15% LGBT, 18% African American, 19% Latinx, 8% Asian, 86% living alone, and 36% with an ADL impairment. On average, 43 contact visits (IQR: 31-97 visits) between participants and peers occurred over the first year. Loneliness scores decreased by, on average, 0.8 points over 24 months (p = 0.015). Participants reported reduced depression (38%-16%, p < 0.001) and fewer barriers to socializing (1.5 fewer, p < 0.001). Because of the longitudinal relationship and matching of characteristics of peers to participants, participants reported strong feelings of kinship, motivations to reach out in other areas of life, and improved mood.
conclusionDiverse older adults in an urban setting participating in a longitudinal peer program experienced reduced loneliness, depression, and barriers to socializing. Matching by shared backgrounds facilitated rapport and bonding between participants and peers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.