Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39028701›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

A brief but comprehensive three-item social connectedness screener for use in social risk assessment tools.

Nancy P Gordon, Matthiew C Stiefel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Lifestyle Medicine Assessment Scores in Family Medicine Providers.American journal of lifestyle medicine · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Nancy P GordonDivision of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-3692-112X
Matthiew C StiefelInstitute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe 2014 IOM report "Capturing Social and Behavioral Domains and Measures in Electronic Health Records" described three subdomains of social relationships that affect patient health and well-being. However, most social risk screeners currently assess only one subdomain, frequency of social connections. We are proposing a three-item Brief Social Connectedness (SC) screener that additionally assesses risks in social/emotional support and loneliness/social isolation subdomains.

methodsFor this cross-sectional study, we used data from a 2021 Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) social risk survey for 2244 members ages 35-85 years. The survey included three validated questions that covered the SC subdomains (frequencies of social contacts with people they care about, feeling lonely/socially isolated, and getting enough social/emotional support). Variables representing moderate/high versus low risk were created for each subdomain. We used weighted data for bivariate analyses and modified log-Poisson regression models that adjusted for age, sex, race, and ethnicity to examine cross-sectional associations among the three subdomain risks, as well as with two structural SC risks, living alone and not being in a committed relationship. We then used modified log-Poisson regression models to study cross-sectional associations of these five SC variables with three single-item self-report measures of emotional health.

resultsIn regression models that included all five SC variables, loneliness/social isolation and social/emotional support risks were significantly associated with all three emotional health measures, while frequency of social contacts, living alone, and no committed relationship were not. However, low frequency of social contacts and no committed relationship significantly increased risk of often feeling lonely/socially isolated and lacking in social/emotional support.

conclusionsA three-item social connectedness screener that assessed risks of loneliness/social isolation, inadequate social/emotional support, and low frequency of social contacts provided more comprehensive information about emotional health risks than social connection frequency alone.

Indexed as

LonelinessSocial IsolationSocial SupportAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCaliforniaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk AssessmentSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID39028701
PMCPMC11259274

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Registered trials

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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.