ReviewSSM - population health2022
The use of digital technology for social wellbeing reduces social isolation in older adults: A systematic review.
Review in SSM - population health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 157 papers, 6 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
157 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 331 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between digital smart device use and depression among older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- The role of technology-based interventions in older adults experiencing spousal bereavement: a systematic review of clinical trials.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- A scoping review of the feasibility, usability, and efficacy of digital interventions in older adults concerning physical activity and/or exercise.Frontiers in aging · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions to reduce social isolation and food insecurity in older adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of Active and Assisted Living technologies on psychosocial well-being in older adults: systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of digital health interventions on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Comparing Perceptions of Technology-Based Interactions Among Depressed Older Adults Participating in a Randomized Controlled Trial During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Trial
- Acceptability and feasibility of online delivery of chair-based yoga for older adults with multimorbidity - lessons from a process evaluation of the gentle years yoga trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Trial
- Evaluating Older Adults' Engagement and Usability With AI-Driven Interventions: Randomized Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Do baseline participant characteristics impact the effectiveness of a mobile health intervention for depressive symptoms? A post-hoc subgroup analysis of the CONEMO trials.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2024Trial
- Everyday Digital Literacy Questionnaire for Older Adults: Instrument Development and Validation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Digital divide and health status among rural older adults in China: evidence from CHARLS.Global health action · 2026Article
- How does digital financial inclusion affect the health of older adults? Evidence from China.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- Article
- Smartphone technology, social network maintenance, and social participation among Mandarin-speaking older immigrants in Canada.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Systematic Co-Design of Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Innovations for Healthy Aging: A Demonstration Study Involving Socially Assistive Robots for Dementia Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Digital connectivity and social wellbeing in a polycrisis setting: longitudinal, nationwide, population-weighted evidence from Myanmar, 2021 to 2024.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2026Article
- Article
- Artificial Intelligence in Social Health: A Narrative Review of Uses, Advantages, Challenges, and Future Directions.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The psycho-social dual-pathway perspective on healthy aging in digital age-friendly environments: longitudinal evidence from China.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
97 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This systematic review emphasizes the need for technology use in older adults to reduce social isolation. With the advancement of technology over the years, the effectiveness of interventions based on its use can be examined to see how these can address the problem of social isolation and enhance social wellbeing. We focus on identifying how older adults can most benefit from affordable and accessible technology use and how the training and implementation of such interventions can be tailored to maximize their beneficial effect. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to select relevant studies. We analyzed 25 articles, performed a narrative analysis to identify themes, and quality of life indicators connected to technology use and wellbeing. Engagement of older adults at the community-level, following best practices from the Community-Based Participatory Research can facilitate effective practices to deliver technology based social isolation interventions and increase digital use self-efficacy in older adults. Mobile technology-based applications not only help families to stay connected, but also link older adults to resources in healthcare and encourage physical and mental well-being. Use of technology devices address cognitive, visual, and hearing needs, and increase digital use self-efficacy in older adults, particularly helpful during necessary social distancing or self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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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.