ReviewFrontiers in public health2026
The impact of social isolation on physical and mental health among empty-nest older adults: an integrative review.
Review in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association of communal vs. solitary dining on nutritional intake and depression risk in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- The relationship between social capital, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life in rural empty-nest older adults with chronic diseases: a latent profile and mediation analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: To our knowledge, previously there have been no reviews about the impact of social isolation on physical and mental health among people aged over 60, who are empty-nest older adults. Objective: To conduct an integrative review of empirical studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of social isolation and its influence among empty-nest older adults' health. Design: An integrative literature review. Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, EBSCOhost, CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP were searched for studies from the database inception to October 2025. Of 2,833 scrutinized articles, 14 were eligible for inclusion and subjected to independent quality appraisal. One mixed-method study, two qualitative research studies, and 11 quantitative research studies were selected. Results: Social isolation among empty-nest older adults is linked to elevated physical health risks, including higher mortality, as well as mental health issues such as depression, self-neglect, loneliness, reduced life satisfaction, and cognitive decline. It also impacts comprehensive health indicators like intrinsic capacity and quality of life. Mediating factors, including aging attitudes, loneliness, perceived stress, and health-promoting behaviors, exacerbate these effects. Conclusion: Social isolation adversely affects both physical and mental health in empty-nest older adults, underscoring the need for developing interventions to promote social support networks and expand social connections.
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.