Pandemics and their public health control measures have generally substantially increased the level of loneliness and social isolation in the general population. Because of the circumstances of aging, older adults are more likely to experience social isolation and loneliness during pandemics. However, no systematic review has been conducted or published on the prevalence of loneliness and/or social isolation among the older population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide up-to-date pooled estimates of the prevalence of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and other pandemics in the last two decades.

EMBASE, PsychoINFO, Medline, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies from January 1, 2000 to November 31, 2021 published in a variety of languages. Only studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected in the review.

A total of 30 studies including 28,050 participants met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the pooled period prevalence of loneliness among older adults was 28.6% (95% CI: 22.9–35.0%) and 31.2% for social isolation (95% CI: 20.2–44.9%). Prevalence estimates were significantly higher for those studies conducted post 3-month from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those conducted within the first 3 months of the pandemic.

This review identifies the need for good quality longitudinal studies to examine the long-term impact of pandemics on loneliness and social isolation among older populations. Health policymaking and healthcare systems should proactively address the rising demand for appropriate psychological services among older adults.

流行病及其公共卫生控制措施普遍大大增加了普通人群的孤独感和社会孤立感。由于老龄化的情况，老年人在大流行期间更有可能经历社会孤立和孤独。然而，尚未对老年人口中孤独感和/或社会孤立的普遍性进行或发表任何系统评价。本系统回顾和荟萃分析旨在对过去二十年 COVID-19 大流行和其他大流行期间老年人社会孤立和孤独感的流行率进行最新汇总估计。

在 EMBASE、PsychoINFO、Medline 和 Web of Science 中搜索了 2000 年 1 月 1 日至 2021 年 11 月 31 日期间以多种语言发表的相关研究。审查仅选择了在 COVID-19 大流行期间进行的研究。

共有 30 项研究包括 28,050 名参与者符合纳入标准。总体而言，老年人孤独感的合并时期患病率为 28.6%（95% CI：22.9–35.0%），社会孤立患病率为 31.2%（95% CI：20.2–44.9%）。与大流行前 3 个月内进行的研究相比，在 COVID-19 大流行开始后 3 个月后进行的那些研究的患病率估计值要高得多。

这篇综述确定了高质量纵向研究的必要性，以检验流行病对老年人口孤独感和社会隔离的长期影响。卫生决策和医疗保健系统应积极应对老年人对适当心理服务不断增长的需求。