Befriending, Loneliness, and Quality of Life of Older Adults: A Pilot Evaluation Study.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q3 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Clinical Gerontologist Pub Date : 2025-03-21 DOI:10.1080/07317115.2025.2481124

Joanna McHugh Power, Eimíle Holton, Brian A Lawlor, Frank Kee, Thomas Scharf, Seán Moynihan, Michelle E Kelly, Caoimhe Hannigan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: An aggregated interventional N-of-1 or single-case design was used to assess the impact of a befriending intervention on a) health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and b) the association between loneliness on HR-QoL among older adults.

Methods: Participants were n = 33 new users of the service, aged 60 + . Outcomes were measured at 13 timepoints across 26 weeks, and data were analyzed using generalized additive modeling (GAM) with a subset of data analyzed using supplementary visual analysis.

Results: Results indicate that the befriending service may reduce decline of HR-QoL (i.e. HR-QoL declined in the baseline phase over time: edf = 3.893, F = 3.0, p = .002, while in the treatment phase, HR-QoL remained more stable: edf = 5.98, F = 2.98, p = .008). The intervention also suppressed the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL.

Conclusions: Befriending interventions may prevent declines in HR-QoL, and may moderate the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL.

Clinical implications: Our preliminary findings suggest that befriending services may be useful if clinicians have concerns about the health impacts of loneliness for older people. It is difficult to evaluate community-based services, and we consider the challenges we faced, with a view to assisting others planning similar evaluations.

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结交朋友、孤独感和老年人的生活质量：试点评估研究

研究目的采用 "N-of-1 "或 "单一案例 "的综合干预设计，评估结伴干预对以下两方面的影响：a）与健康相关的生活质量（HR-QoL）；b）孤独感与老年人HR-QoL之间的关联：参与者为 n = 33 名 60 岁以上的服务新用户。结果在 26 周内的 13 个时间点进行测量，数据采用广义加法模型（GAM）进行分析，部分数据采用辅助视觉分析进行分析：结果表明，结交服务可减少 HR-QoL 的下降（即在基线阶段，HR-QoL 随时间推移而下降：edf = 3.893，F = 3.0，p = .002；而在治疗阶段，HR-QoL 保持稳定：edf = 5.98，F = 2.98，p = .008）。干预还抑制了孤独感对 HR-QoL 的影响：结交朋友的干预措施可防止心率-情商下降，并可减缓孤独感对心率-情商的影响：我们的初步研究结果表明，如果临床医生担心孤独会影响老年人的健康，那么结交朋友的服务可能会有所帮助。对社区服务进行评估十分困难，我们考虑了我们所面临的挑战，以期为其他计划进行类似评估的人提供帮助。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Gerontologist GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-PSYCHIATRY

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

25.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical Gerontologist presents original research, reviews, and clinical comments relevant to the needs of behavioral health professionals and all practitioners who work with older adults. Published in cooperation with Psychologists in Long Term Care, the journal is designed for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors (family, pastoral, and vocational), and other health professionals who address behavioral health concerns found in later life, including: -adjustments to changing roles- issues related to diversity and aging- family caregiving- spirituality- cognitive and psychosocial assessment- depression, anxiety, and PTSD- Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders- long term care- behavioral medicine in aging- rehabilitation and education for older adults. Each issue provides insightful articles on current topics. Submissions are peer reviewed by content experts and selected for both scholarship and relevance to the practitioner to ensure that the articles are among the best in the field. Authors report original research and conceptual reviews. A unique column in Clinical Gerontologist is “Clinical Comments." This section features brief observations and specific suggestions from practitioners which avoid elaborate research designs or long reference lists. This section is a unique opportunity for you to learn about the valuable clinical work of your peers in a short, concise format.