Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41447461›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2025

Workplace Loneliness Experience Among Older Professionals (Aged ≥50 Years) in the Context of Digitalization: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Lavinia Iuliana Țânculescu-Popa, Maria Piedade Brandão, Şeyhmus Aksoy, Rogério Pessoto Hirata, Ayşegül Ilgaz, Cristina Maria Tofan

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Article in JMIR research protocols, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

6 authors.

Lavinia Iuliana Țânculescu-PopaFaculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Hyperion University, Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-8171-8000
Maria Piedade BrandãoHealth School of University of Aveiro (ESSUA), Aveiro, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-9272-0387
Şeyhmus AksoyDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Letters, Agri Ibrahim Cecen University, Ağrı, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0001-6637-4126
Rogério Pessoto HirataExerciseTech Research Group, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9943-2713
Ayşegül IlgazDepartment of Public Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0003-0640-2820
Cristina Maria TofanPsychology and Educational Sciences Department, Gheorghe Zane Institute for Economic and Social Research, Romanian Academy - Iasi Branch, Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-8733-725X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWorkplace loneliness-defined as the perceived absence of meaningful social relationships at work-can have a negative impact on the well-being, engagement, and productivity of employees. Older professionals (aged ≥50 years) may be particularly vulnerable to workplace loneliness in the context of accelerated digitalization, which may create obstacles to inclusion, communication, and collaboration. Despite growing interest in this phenomenon, no comprehensive synthesis has yet examined how digital tools and transformations affect loneliness among older workers or what interventions have been implemented to address it.

objectiveThis scoping review aims to systematically map the existing literature on workplace loneliness among workers aged 50 years or older, with a particular focus on how digitalization influences these experiences. The review will also identify digital tools associated with loneliness and explore organizational interventions to reduce loneliness among this demographic.

methodsThis scoping review will follow the methodological framework by Arksey and O'Malley and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) reporting guidelines. A comprehensive search will be conducted in multiple databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and APA PsycINFO) and gray literature. Eligible studies will (1) include workers aged 50 years or older, (2) address workplace loneliness or related constructs in professional contexts, and (3) be situated in digitalized work environments (eg, remote or hybrid work, digital tools, and information and communications technology systems). Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment will be conducted independently by at least 2 reviewers. Data will be charted using a predefined template covering study characteristics, theoretical frameworks, the digital context, loneliness measures, and intervention strategies and synthesized narratively and thematically.

resultsAs this is a scoping review protocol, results are not yet available. A preliminary search conducted in June to July 2025 across MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science yielded 450, 1, and 47 potentially relevant records, respectively. No systematic or scoping reviews were identified on workplace loneliness among older workers in digitalized contexts. One review addressed video calls for nonworking older adults, reporting very low-certainty evidence. The planned review will apply the PRISMA-ScR guidelines to synthesize evidence on digitalization's role in, technologies associated with, and organizational interventions to mitigate workplace loneliness for professionals aged 50 years or older.

conclusionsThis scoping review will systematically examine how digitalization shapes workplace loneliness among professionals aged 50 years or older and identify organizational interventions that address it. The synthesis will refine conceptual understanding, highlight critical evidence gaps, and inform the development of socially supportive digital work environments for aging workforces.

trial registrationOpen Science Framework 6p4ak; https://osf.io/6p4ak. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/81843.

Indexed as

LonelinessWorkplaceAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedResearch DesignScoping Reviews as Topicdigital technologydigital toolsolder workersscoping reviewworkplace loneliness

Identifiers

PMID41447461
PMCPMC12784142

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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.