Effectiveness of Technology Interventions in Addressing Social Isolation, Connectedness, and Loneliness in Older Adults: Systematic Umbrella Review
Open accessAbstract
Background: The global population of older adults (aged >60 years) is expected to triple to 2 billion by 2050. Proportionate rises in older adults affected by loneliness and social isolation (or social connectedness) are expected. Rapid deployability and social changes have increased the availability of technological devices, creating new opportunities for older adults. Objective: This study aimed to identify, synthesize, and critically appraise the effectiveness of technology interventions improving social connectedness in older adults by assessing the quality of reviews, common observations, and derivable themes. Methods: Following the guidelines of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), 4 databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE) were searched between February 2020 and March 2022. We identified reviews with adults aged ≥50 years in community and residential settings, reporting outcomes related to the impact of technologies on social disconnectedness with inclusion criteria based on the population, intervention, context, outcomes, and study schema—review-type articles (systematic, meta-analyses, integrative, and scoping)—and with digital interventions included. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) was used to measure the strength of outcome recommendations including the risk of bias. The reviews covered 326 primary studies with 79,538 participants. Findings were extracted, synthesized, and organized according to emerging themes. Results: Overall, 972 publications met the initial search criteria, and 24 met our inclusion criteria. Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews was used to assess the quality of the analysis. Eligible reviews (3/24, 12%) were excluded because of their low Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews scores (<22). The included reviews were dedicated to information and communications technology (ICT; 11/24, 46%), videoconferencing (4/24, 17%), computer or internet training (3/24, 12%), telecare (2/24, 8%), social networking sites (2/24, 8%), and robotics (2/27, 8%). Although technology was found to improve social connectedness, its effectiveness depended on study design and is improved by shorter durations, longer training times, and the facilitation of existing relationships. ICT and videoconferencing showed the best results, followed by computer training. Social networking sites achieved mixed results. Robotics and augmented reality showed promising results but lacked sufficient data for informed conclusions. The overall quality of the studies based on GRADE was medium low to very low. Conclusions: Technology interventions can improve social connectedness in older adults. The specific effectiveness rates favor ICT and videoconferencing, but with limited evidence, as indicated by low GRADE ratings. Future intervention and study design guidelines should carefully assess the methodological quality of studies and the overall certainty of specific outcome measures. The lack of randomized controlled trials in underlying primary studies (<28%) and suboptimal methodologies limited our findings. Robotics and augmented or virtual reality warrant further research. Low GRADE scores highlight the need for high-quality research in these areas. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022363475; https://tinyurl.com/mdd6zds
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Recent reviews from 2022 have continued to focus on the effectiveness and outcomes of digital interventions in healthy ageing.
“In recent work from 2022, reviews on this area have continued to focus on the effectiveness and outcomes of digital interventions in healthy ageing (Balki et al., 2022;Chu et al., 2022;Liu et al., 2022;Margrett et al., 2022;Suleiman-Martos et al., 2022).”
From User experience of mixed reality applications for healthy ageing: A systematic review (2023) · cites this paper as Balki et al., 2022
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Seaton, C. L., Rush, K. L., Li, E. P. H., Hasan, K., & Fawcus, L. (2023) · JMIR Aging · doi:10.2196/50345 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Bhat, N., Paul, F. A., Gul, A., & Ganie, Z. A. (2024) · Frontiers in Global Women s Health · doi:10.3389/fgwh.2024.1410058 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Ceyssens, C., Verhulst, N., & Willems, K. (2025) · International Journal of Consumer Studies · doi:10.1111/ijcs.70080 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Mohan, A., Jothikaran, T. A. J., Patil, D. S., & Ashok, L. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22111745 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
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Noh, E.-Y., Lee, J., & Kim, H. (2025) · Geriatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.03.042 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Social prescribing for socially isolated older adults in rural Japan: a qualitative case study
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Information and Communication Technologies and the Risk to Loneliness
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User experience of mixed reality applications for healthy ageing: A systematic review
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“In recent work from 2022, reviews on this area have continued to focus on the effectiveness and outcomes of digital interventions in healthy ageing (Balki et al., 2022; Chu et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2022; Margrett et al., 2022; Suleiman ‐ Martos et al., 2022).”
BackgroundDigital, social, and built environment influences on loneliness among older adults in China
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The use of technology by seniors with neurocognitive disorders in long-term care: a scoping review
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Loneliness improved by either telephone or video communications in community-dwelling older adults
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Time and Frequency of Social Media Use and Loneliness Among U.S. Adults
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Eklund, C., Zander, V., Gusdal, A. K., Åkerlind, C., & Wågert, P. V. H. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/78213 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Ruiz-Figueroa, I., Recover, M. Á. M., & Gómez, P. M. (2025) · Historia y Comunicación Social · doi:10.5209/hics.100643 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology
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Fu, J.-Y., Qiu, Y.-F., Luo, Q., Liu, R., Liu, J.-L., Yue, Y.-K., Gu, J., Tong, M.-J., & Yang, F. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121807 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Inclusive transformation of age-friendly communities based on digital technology support
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Technology-Based Solutions for Combating Loneliness and Isolation in Geriatric Care
Yu, K., Dodge, H. H., Lindauer, A., & Kaye, J. A. (2025) · Clinics in Geriatric Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.cger.2025.04.001 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
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Kastl, A., Fettke, U., & Dobusch, L. (2026) · Health Policy · doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105575 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Hwang, M., & Hwang, Y. (2026) · Clinical Gerontologist · doi:10.1080/07317115.2026.2628722 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ahmed, R. S., & Shaban, M. (2026) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152076 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Nakada, T., Kurotani, K., Seino, S., Kozawa, T., Murota, S., Eto, M., Shimasawa, J., Shimizu, Y., Tsurugano, S., Katsukawa, F., et al. (2026) · Geriatrics · doi:10.3390/geriatrics11020027 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Hao, F., Ng, W., Liu, J., Back, K., & Chon, K. (2026) · Tourism Review · doi:10.1108/tr-07-2025-0810 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Technological neuropsychology: Assessing cognition in a digital world
Federico, G. (2026) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106473 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bodenstein, K., Diep, D., Gruber, J., Varga, P., Mehta, G. S., Memarpour, M., Klil‐Drori, S., Bukari, S., Launay, C. P., Rej, S., et al. (2023) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2023.2265841 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ehmann, S., & McConatha, J. T. (2023) · Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal · doi:10.14738/assrj.1010.15709 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Pohl, J. S., & Fleury, J. (2024) · Geriatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.02.016 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Together: AJR Podcast Series on Wellness, Episode 3
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Srinivasan, I., & Binu Sahayam, D. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.56488
Social media use is an understated social determinant of mental health
Jester, D. J., & Yu, K. (2024) · International Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1017/s1041610224000371
Ekhaese, E. N., & Ndimako, O. O. (2024) · Preprints.org · doi:10.20944/preprints202403.1531.v1
Digital tool for childhood first aid: app for professionals and caregivers
Pereira, A. D., Weissheimer, A. S., Pires, M. O., Rodrigues, L. F., Marchiori, M. R. C. T., & Backes, D. S. (2024) · Acta Paulista de Enfermagem · doi:10.37689/acta-ape/2024ao000017866
Ferramenta digital para primeiros socorros na infância: aplicativo para profissionais e cuidadores
Pereira, A. D., Weissheimer, A. S., Pires, M. O., Rodrigues, L. F., Marchiori, M. R. C. T., & Backes, D. S. (2024) · Acta Paulista de Enfermagem · doi:10.37689/acta-ape/2024ao00001786
Reducing the Effects of Loneliness in the Elderly: Enacting the “Principle of Linguistic Gratuity”
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- Authors
- Balki, E., Hayes, N., & Holland, C.
- Affiliations
- Lancaster University (GB)
- Nottingham Trent University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Balki, Eric
- Venue
- JMIR Aging
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2022-10-24
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e40125
- ISSN
- 2561-7605 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9641519
- OpenAlex
- W4295419463
- Cited by
- 132
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 5.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- JMIR Aging (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
- Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- social connectedness, loneliness, social isolation, older adults, digital interventions, information and communication technologies, videoconferencing, computer training, telecare, social networking sites, social robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, telemedicine, digital divide, community-dwelling older adults, systematic review quality, GRADE
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