We conducted a rapid systematic review to bring together the evidence on the effectiveness of loneliness interventions.
We worked with researchers from Kohlrabi Consulting to look at studies in OECD countries published since 2008 that report the effectiveness of programme and pilots aimed at alleviating loneliness.
We searched systematically through grey and published literature to answer the following questions:
- What is the effectiveness of interventions aimed at alleviating loneliness in people of all ages across the life-course?
- Is there an association between setting/intervention type and the direction and size of effect?
- Are there differences in effectiveness across population groups?
Since the learning generated by the Centre’s Review of Reviews (Victor et al, 2018), more recent research has taken an in-depth look at loneliness interventions, focused on specific populations and investigated the mechanisms of success of specific modes of delivery.
We wanted to build on the high-quality work that has already been done in the field – by bringing together some researchers to help quality assure our work and to discuss the existing gaps in the loneliness evidence base. We were particularly interested in identifying studies that:
- Report loneliness as a primary or intentional outcome
- Provide evidence on effects for young and mid-life adults
- Provide evidence on UK-based interventions
- Explore effectiveness of interventions delivered during and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic