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A Meta-Analysis of Interventions to Reduce Loneliness:

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TLDR
An integrative meta-analysis of loneliness reduction interventions was conducted to quantify the effects of each strategy and to examine the potential role of moderator variables, and revealed that single-group pre-post and nonrandomized comparison studies yielded larger mean effect sizes relative to randomized comparison studies.
Abstract
Social and demographic trends are placing an increasing number of adults at risk for loneliness, an established risk factor for physical and mental illness. The growing costs of loneliness have led to a number of loneliness reduction interventions. Qualitative reviews have identified four primary intervention strategies: (a) improving social skills, (b) enhancing social support, (c) increasing opportunities for social contact, and (d) addressing maladaptive social cognition. An integrative meta-analysis of loneliness reduction interventions was conducted to quantify the effects of each strategy and to examine the potential role of moderator variables. Results revealed that single-group pre-post and nonrandomized comparison studies yielded larger mean effect sizes relative to randomized comparison studies. Among studies that used the latter design, the most successful interventions addressed maladaptive social cognition. This is consistent with current theories regarding loneliness and its etiology. Theoretical and methodological issues associated with designing new loneliness reduction interventions are discussed.

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Journal ArticleDOI

Loneliness: Clinical Import and Interventions

TL;DR: Assessments of loneliness are reviewed and there is increasing evidence for the potential efficacy of integrated interventions that combine (social) cognitive behavioral therapy with short-term adjunctive pharmacological treatments.
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Associations between loneliness and perceived social support and outcomes of mental health problems: a systematic review

TL;DR: Loneliness and quality of social support in depression are potential targets for development and testing of interventions, while for other conditions further evidence is needed regarding relationships with outcomes.
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Interventions targeting social isolation in older people: a systematic review.

TL;DR: Assessment of the effectiveness of interventions designed to alleviate social isolation and loneliness in older people found common characteristics of effective interventions were those developed within the context of a theoretical basis, and those offering social activity and/or support within a group format.
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Effects of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease

TL;DR: In real-life settings, mechanistic studies have corroborated earlier laboratory-based observations on stress-related pathophysiological changes that underlie triggering, such as lowered arrhythmic threshold and increased sympathetic activation with related increases in blood pressure, as well as pro-inflammatory and procoagulant responses.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

The enhancement of intimacy and the reduction of loneliness among child molesters

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the component of their treatment program that is aimed at enhancing intimacy skills and reducing loneliness in sexual offenders, and the evaluation of this component, although limited in sophistication, offers data that encourages confidence in the value of the treatment component.
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Befriending young mothers.

TL;DR: It is concluded that well conducted befriending schemes can make a significant contribution to the mental health of mothers and children.
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Psychological investigation of genital herpes recurrence: prospective assessment and cognitive-behavioral intervention for a chronic physical disorder.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the impact of psychological therapy on features of the disorder and found that the psychological intervention did not produce the expected reductions in reported distress or loneliness, however, was associated with reduced frequency of lesion recurrence at follow-up.
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Alleviating Loneliness among Frail Older People – Findings from a Randomised Controlled Trial

TL;DR: The results suggest that a physically orientated rehabilitation programme may reduce emotional loneliness among frail older people.
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