Introduction

Loneliness is prevalent and associated with negative health outcomes in young people. Our understanding of how it can be best addressed is limited. This systematic review aims to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of interventions to reduce and prevent loneliness and social isolation in young people.

Methods

Six bibliographic databases were searched; references of included studies were screened for relevant literature. A pre-defined framework was used for data extraction. Quality appraisal was performed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Data were synthesised narratively.

Results

9,358 unique references were identified; 28 publications from 16 interventions met the inclusion criteria. The majority of interventions were high intensity, individual or small group interventions, often targeted at specific ‘at risk’ populations. While 14 interventions were associated with a statistically significant reduction in loneliness or social isolation, the heterogeneous measures of loneliness, small sample sizes, short periods of follow-up and high attrition rates limit evidence on effectiveness. Interventions implemented in more general populations of young people appeared more acceptable than those in specific ‘at risk’ populations.

Conclusion

High intensity interventions are unlikely to be feasible at a population level. Further work is required to develop and evaluate theoretically-informed loneliness interventions for young people that reach wider audiences.

中文翻译：

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解决年轻人孤独和社会孤立问题的干预措施：对可接受性和有效性证据的系统评价

介绍

孤独是普遍存在的，并且与年轻人的负面健康结果有关。我们对如何最好地解决这个问题的理解是有限的。本系统评价旨在评估干预措施的可接受性和有效性，以减少和预防年轻人的孤独感和社会孤立感。

方法

检索了六个书目数据库；对纳入研究的参考文献进行了相关文献筛选。使用预定义的框架进行数据提取。使用混合方法评估工具进行质量评估。数据是按叙事方式合成的。

结果

确定了 9,358 个独特的参考文献；来自 16 项干预措施的 28 篇出版物符合纳入标准。大多数干预措施是高强度的个人或小组干预措施，通常针对特定的“高危”人群。虽然 14 项干预措施在统计学上显着减少了孤独感或社会孤立感，但孤独感的异质测量、小样本量、短期随访和高流失率限制了有效性的证据。在更普遍的年轻人群体中实施的干预措施似乎比在特定“高危”人群中实施的干预措施更容易接受。

结论

高强度干预不太可能在人群水平上可行。需要进一步的工作来开发和评估面向更广泛受众的年轻人的有理论知识的孤独干预措施。