title: The Effect of Information Communication Technology Interventions on Reducing Social Isolation in the Elderly: A Systematic Review.
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.
authors.affiliation: Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, China (Hong Kong). yrchen@hkbu.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Yi-Ru Regina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8322-1735
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0405-2284
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D063731:Mobile Applications; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D060756:Social Networking
keywords: ICT intervention; elderly; social isolation
references.citation: Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. 2010 Sep;57(9):785-95
references.pmid: 21061557
references.citation: Am J Community Psychol. 1990 Jun;18(3):423-38
references.pmid: 2264558
references.citation: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015 Sep;30(9):942-9
references.pmid: 25503540
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2008 Feb;43(2):140-50
references.pmid: 17994175
references.citation: Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015 May;18(5):268-72
references.pmid: 25919967
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2000 Sep;51(6):843-57
references.pmid: 10972429
references.citation: Aging Ment Health. 2007 Sep;11(5):477-84
references.pmid: 17882585
references.citation: Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Apr;57(537):277-82
references.pmid: 17394730
references.citation: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2008 May;63(3):P176-84
references.pmid: 18559683
references.citation: Addiction. 1994 Jun;89(6):725-32
references.pmid: 8069173
references.citation: Aging Ment Health. 2002 Aug;6(3):213-21
references.pmid: 12217089
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2011 Aug 15;11:647
references.pmid: 21843337
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 1985;20(4):355-64
references.pmid: 3992279
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2005 Feb;60(4):747-61
references.pmid: 15571893
references.citation: J Adv Nurs. 2009 Jun;65(6):1342-52
references.pmid: 19291185
references.citation: Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Apr;57(537):271-6
references.pmid: 17394729
references.citation: Patient Educ Couns. 2013 Jan;90(1):1-3
references.pmid: 23237574
references.citation: J Med Internet Res. 2013 Feb 28;15(2):e39
references.pmid: 23448864
references.citation: Cyberpsychol Behav. 2008 Apr;11(2):208-11
references.pmid: 18422415
references.citation: J Med Internet Res. 2011 Nov 15;13(4):e93
references.pmid: 22086660
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2007 Jan;64(2):477-95
references.pmid: 17049701
references.citation: Health Soc Care Community. 2008 Jan;16(1):75-85
references.pmid: 18181817
references.citation: Neurology. 2005 Jun 14;64(11):1888-92
references.pmid: 15955939
references.citation: J Health Soc Behav. 2009 Mar;50(1):31-48
references.pmid: 19413133
references.citation: AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003;:948
references.pmid: 14728453
references.citation: Australas J Ageing. 2014 Sep;33(3):142-52
references.pmid: 24730370
references.citation: Aging Ment Health. 2007 Sep;11(5):496-504
references.pmid: 17882587
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 1991;32(6):705-14
references.pmid: 2035047
references.citation: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2007 Nov;62(6):P322-30
references.pmid: 18079416
references.citation: Health Soc Care Community. 2011 Mar;19(2):198-206
references.pmid: 21114564
references.citation: Can J Aging. 2004 Summer;23(2):115-27
references.pmid: 15334812
references.citation: J Appl Gerontol. 2017 Jan;36(1):3-28
references.pmid: 26084479
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Apr 15;155(8):700-9
references.pmid: 11943687
references.citation: Nurs Older People. 2005 Mar 1;17(1):40
references.pmid: 27736564
references.citation: Gerontologist. 2006 Aug;46(4):503-13
references.pmid: 16921004
references.citation: Comput Inform Nurs. 2002 May-Jun;20(3):117-24
references.pmid: 12021610
references.citation: J Pers Assess. 1990 Winter;55(3-4):610-7
references.pmid: 2280326
references.citation: Soc Work. 1995 May;40(3):295-304
references.pmid: 7761915
references.citation: J Appl Gerontol. 2013 Aug;32(5):540-60
references.pmid: 25474761
references.citation: J Telemed Telecare. 2008;14(2):79-82
references.pmid: 18348753
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1980 Sep;39(3):472-80
references.pmid: 7431205
references.citation: Aging Ment Health. 2010 Nov;14(8):947-54
references.pmid: 21069600