Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 3, 2021

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Group Intervention via Zoom to Relieve Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Older Persons during the COVID-19 Outbreak

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A pilot randomized trial of a group Zoom intervention for loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (aged 65-90) found significant improvements in loneliness and depressive symptoms. The intervention was comprised of online guided group sessions taught by clinical social workers in which participants learned and practiced behavioral and cognitive techniques for coping with isolation due to the pandemic and the control group consisted of participants assigned to a wait list. Loneliness score (range 3-9) decreased from a mean of 5.4 to 4.8 in the intervention group and the intervention and control group differed significantly in their scores at follow-up.

Shapira et al. (Apr 2021). A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Group Intervention via Zoom to Relieve Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Older Persons during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Internet Interventions. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2021.100368