CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 874Technology Use by Older AdultsAging, Elder Care, and Social IssuesAging, Health, and Disability

The effect of information communication technology interventions on reducing social isolation in the elderly: A systematic review

Open access
Chen, Yi-Ru Regina, Schulz, Peter J·2016·Journal of Medical Internet Research
DOI 10.2196/jmir.4596PMC PMC4751336
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aging of the population is an inexorable change that challenges governments and societies in every developed country. Based on clinical and empirical data, social isolation is found to be prevalent among elderly people, and it has negative consequences on the elderly's psychological and physical health. Targeting social isolation has become a focus area for policy and practice. Evidence indicates that contemporary information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to prevent or reduce the social isolation of elderly people via various mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review explored the effects of ICT interventions on reducing social isolation of the elderly. METHODS: Relevant electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO, SSCI, Communication Studies: a SAGE Full-Text Collection, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore) were systematically searched using a unified strategy to identify quantitative and qualitative studies on the effectiveness of ICT-mediated social isolation interventions for elderly people published in English between 2002 and 2015. Narrative synthesis was performed to interpret the results of the identified studies, and their quality was also appraised. RESULTS: Twenty-five publications were included in the review. Four of them were evaluated as rigorous research. Most studies measured the effectiveness of ICT by measuring specific dimensions rather than social isolation in general. ICT use was consistently found to affect social support, social connectedness, and social isolation in general positively. The results for loneliness were inconclusive. Even though most were positive, some studies found a nonsignificant or negative impact. More importantly, the positive effect of ICT use on social connectedness and social support seemed to be short-term and did not last for more than six months after the intervention. The results for self-esteem and control over one's life were consistent but generally nonsignificant. ICT was found to alleviate the elderly's social isolation through four mechanisms: connecting to the outside world, gaining social support, engaging in activities of interests, and boosting self-confidence. CONCLUSIONS: More well-designed studies that contain a minimum risk of research bias are needed to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of ICT interventions for elderly people in reducing their perceived social isolation as a multidimensional concept. The results of this review suggest that ICT could be an effective tool to tackle social isolation among the elderly. However, it is not suitable for every senior alike. Future research should identify who among elderly people can most benefit from ICT use in reducing social isolation. Research on other types of ICT (eg, mobile phone-based instant messaging apps) should be conducted to promote understanding and practice of ICT-based social-isolation interventions for elderly people.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.2196/jmir.4596

Cites

17 of 17 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Several review papers have explored the effects of ICT interventions, social media use, and video calls on social isolation and/or social participation in older adults.

    “Several review papers have explored the effects of ICT interventions, social media use, and video calls on social isolation and/or social participation in older adults (Baker et al., 2018;Chen & Schulz, 2016;Khosravi et al., 2016;Noone et al., 2020)”

    From The relationship between social media use and psychosocial outcomes in older adults: A systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as Chen & Schulz, 2016

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 40

  1. [3]Iliffe S Kharicha K Harari D Swift C Gillmann G Stuck AE Health risk appraisal in older people 2: the implications for clinicians and commissioners of social isolation risk in older people Br J Gen Pract 2007 04 57 537 277 82 17394730 17394730 PMC2043334
  2. [7]Saito M Fujiwara Y Kobayashi E Fukaya T Nishi M Shinkai S [Prevalence and characteristics of social isolation in the elderly in a dormitory suburb according to household composition] Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi 2010 09 57 9 785 795 21061557 21061557
  3. [9]Mulvaney-Day NE Alegría M Sribney W Social cohesion, social support, and health among Latinos in the United States Soc Sci Med 2007 01 64 2 477 495 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.08.030 17049701 S0277-9536(06)00441-2 17049701 PMC3518460 · DOI
  4. [10]Fiori KL Smith J Antonucci TC Social network types among older adults: a multidimensional approach J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2007 11 62 6 P322 P330 18079416 62/6/P322 18079416
  5. [11]Kharicha K Iliffe S Harari D Swift C Gillmann G Stuck AE Health risk appraisal in older people 1: are older people living alone an “at-risk” group? Br J Gen Pract 2007 04 57 537 271 276 17394729 17394729 PMC2043328
  6. [12]Dorfman RA Lubben JE Mayer-Oakes A Atchison K Schweitzer SO De Jong FJ Matthias RE Screening for depression among a well elderly population Soc Work 1995 05 40 3 295 304 7761915 7761915
  7. [13]Hanson BS Social network, social support and heavy drinking in elderly men--a population study of men born in 1914, Malmö, Sweden Addiction 1994 06 89 6 725 732 8069173 8069173
  8. [18]Boden-Albala B Litwak E Elkind MSV Rundek T Sacco RL Social isolation and outcomes post stroke Neurology 2005 06 14 64 11 1888 1892 10.1212/01.WNL.0000163510.79351.AF 15955939 64/11/1888 15955939 · DOI
  9. [19]Sum S Mathews MR Pourghasem M Hughes I Internet technology and social capital: How the Internet affects seniors' social capital and wellbing J Comput Mediat Commun 2008 14 1 202 220 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2008.01437.x · DOI
  10. [20]Dickens AP Richards SH Greaves CJ Campbell JL Interventions targeting social isolation in older people: a systematic review BMC Public Health 2011 11 647 10.1186/1471-2458-11-647 21843337 1471-2458-11-647 21843337 PMC3170621 · DOI · Paper page
  11. [21]Cattan M White M Bond J Learmouth A Preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people: a systematic review of health promotion interventions Ageing and Society 1999 25 1 41 67 10.1017/S0144686X04002594 27736564 · DOI · Paper page
  12. [23]Wenger GC Burholt V Changes in levels of social isolation and loneliness among older people in a rural area: a twenty-year longitudinal study Can J Aging 2004 23 2 115 127 15334812 15334812
  13. [24]Findley RA Interventions to reduce social isolation amongst older people: where is the evidence? Ageing and Society 2003 23 5 647 658 10.1017/S0144686X03001296 · DOI · Paper page
  14. [25]Morris ME Adair B Ozanne E Kurowski W Miller KJ Pearce AJ Santamaria N Long M Ventura C Said CM Smart technologies to enhance social connectedness in older people who live at home Australas J Ageing 2014 09 33 3 142 152 10.1111/ajag.12154 24730370 24730370 · DOI · Paper page
  15. [27]Salmon P Assessing the quality of qualitative research Patient Educ Couns 2013 01 90 1 1 3 10.1016/j.pec.2012.11.018 23237574 S0738-3991(12)00466-1 23237574 · DOI
  16. [29]Clark DJ Older adults living through and with their computers Comput Inform Nurs 2002 20 3 117 124 12021610 12021610
  17. [31]Mellor D Firth L Moore K Can the Internet improve the well-being of the elderly? Ageing Int 2008 2 9 32 1 25 42 10.1007/s12126-008-9006-3 · DOI
  18. [32]Nahm ES Resnick B Mills ME A model of computer-mediated social support among older adults AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2003 948 14728453 D030002746 14728453 PMC1480232
  19. [33]Richardson M Weaver CK Zorn Jr TE 'Getting on': older New Zealanders' perceptions of computing New Media & Society 2005 04 01 7 2 219 245 10.1177/1461444805050763 · DOI
  20. [34]Savolainen L Hanson E Magnusson L Gustavsson T An Internet-based videoconferencing system for supporting frail elderly people and their carers J Telemed Telecare 2008 14 2 79 82 10.1258/jtt.2007.070601 18348753 18348753 · DOI
  21. [36]Slegers K van Boxtel MPJ Jolles J Effects of computer training and Internet usage on the well-being and quality of life of older adults: a randomized, controlled study J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2008 05 63 3 P176 P184 18559683 63/3/P176 18559683
  22. [40]Aarts S Peek STM Wouters EJM The relation between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling older adults Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2015 09 30 9 942 949 10.1002/gps.4241 25503540 25503540 · DOI
  23. [41]Blažun H Saranto K Rissanen S Impact of computer training courses on reduction of loneliness of older people in Finland and Slovenia Computers Hum Behav 2012 7 28 4 1202 1212 10.1016/j.chb.2012.02.004 · DOI
  24. [43]Cotten SR Anderson WA McCullough BM Impact of internet use on loneliness and contact with others among older adults: cross-sectional analysis J Med Internet Res 2013 15 2 e39 10.2196/jmir.2306 23448864 v15i2e39 23448864 PMC3636305 · DOI · Paper page
  25. [44]Delello JA McWhorter RR Reducing the digital divide: Connecting older adults to iPad technology J Appl Gerontol 2015 06 17 1 26 10.1177/0733464815589985 26084479 0733464815589985 26084479 · DOI
  26. [45]Dhillon JS Ramos CR Wunsche BC Lutteroth C Designing a Web-based telehealth system for elderly people: An interview study in New Zealand Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems -- CBMS 2011 Bristol 2011 06 the 24th International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems 27-30 June 2011 Bristol IEEE 1 6 10.1109/CBMS.2011.5999157 · DOI
  27. [46]Heo J Chun S Lee S Lee KH Kim J Internet use and well-being in older adults Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw 2015 05 18 5 268 272 10.1089/cyber.2014.0549 25919967 25919967 · DOI
  28. [47]Kahlbaugh PE Sperandio AJ Carlson AL Hauselt J Effects of playing Wii on well-being in the elderly: Physical activity, loneliness, and mood Activities, Adaptation & Aging 2011 10 35 4 331 344 10.1080/01924788.2011.625218 · DOI
  29. [49]Khvorostianov N Elias N Nimrod G 'Without it I am nothing': The internet in the lives of older immigrants New Media & Society 2011 11 11 14 4 583 599 10.1177/1461444811421599 · DOI
  30. [50]Machesney D Wexler SS Chen T Coppola JF Gerontechnology Companion: Virutal pets for dementia patients 2014 Systems, Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT), 2014 IEEE Long Island 2-2 May 2014 New York IEEE 1 3 10.1109/LISAT.2014.6845226 · DOI
  31. [51]Tsai HH Tsai YF Wang HH Chang YC Chu HH Videoconference program enhances social support, loneliness, and depressive status of elderly nursing home residents Aging Ment Health 2010 11 14 8 947 954 10.1080/13607863.2010.501057 21069600 929369798 21069600 · DOI · Paper page
  32. [53]Winstead V Anderson WA Yost EA Cotten SR Warr A Berkowsky RW You can teach an old dog new tricks: a qualitative analysis of how residents of senior living communities may use the web to overcome spatial and social barriers J Appl Gerontol 2013 08 32 5 540 560 10.1177/0733464811431824 25474761 0733464811431824 25474761 PMC5493315 · DOI
  33. [54]Helsper EJ Eynon R Distinct skill pathways to digital engagement European Journal of Communication 2013 09 16 28 6 696 713 10.1177/0267323113499113 · DOI
  34. [57]Schuster TL Kessler RC Aseltine RH Supportive interactions, negative interactions, and depressed mood Am J Community Psychol 1990 06 18 3 423 438 2264558 2264558
  35. [59]Andersson L Intervention against loneliness in a group of elderly women: A process evaluation Human Relations 1984 04 01 37 4 295 310 10.1177/001872678403700402 3992279 · DOI
  36. [60]Lubben J Blozik E Gillmann G Iliffe S von Renteln Kruse W Beck JC Stuck AE Performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among three European community-dwelling older adult populations Gerontologist 2006 08 46 4 503 513 16921004 46/4/503 16921004
  37. [62]Lubben J E Gironda M Berkman B Harooytoan L K Centrality of social ties to the health and well-being of older adults Social Work and Health Care in an Aging World 2003 New York Springer 319 350
  38. [64]Lubben J Blozik E Gillmann G Iliffe S von Renteln Kruse W Beck JC Stuck AE Performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among three European community-dwelling older adult populations Gerontologist 2006 08 46 4 503 513 16921004 46/4/503 16921004
  39. [66]Zimet GD Powell SS Farley GK Werkman S Berkoff KA Psychometric characteristics of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support J Pers Assess 1990 55 3-4 610 617 10.1080/00223891.1990.9674095 2280326 2280326 · DOI · Paper page
  40. [67]Harley D Fitzpatrick G YouTube and intergenerational communication: the case of Geriatric1927 Univ Access Inf Soc 2008 5 29 8 1 5 20 10.1007/s10209-008-0127-y · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Chen, Y.-R. R., & Schulz, P. J.
Affiliations
  • Hong Kong Baptist University (HK)
  • Università della Svizzera italiana (CH)
Corresponding author
Chen, Yi-Ru Regina
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
Published
2016-01-28
Volume
18
Issue
1
Pages
e18
ISSN
1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2196/jmir.4596
PMC
PMC4751336
OpenAlex
W2265482988
Cited by
874
References
17
Citations by year
2026: 88 · 2025: 101 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 113 · 2022: 149 · 2021: 99 · 2020: 104 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 10
FWCI
10.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
Keywords
social isolation, older adults, information and communication technologies, ICT interventions, social support, social connectedness, loneliness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, population aging, technology use in older adults, mobile messaging apps
MeSH terms
Aged, Communication, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Mental Health, Social Isolation, Internet, Social Networking, Mobile Applications

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review