Social Isolation and Loneliness of Older Adults in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Can Use of Online Social Media Sites and Video Chats Assist in Mitigating Social Isolation and Loneliness?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global burden. Epidemiological data suggest that the severity of COVID-19, in particular its case fatality rate, rises strongly with age. It is possible that neither a vaccine nor an effective treatment will be available for >1 year. Thus, it may be necessary for older adults to protect themselves by avoiding direct social contact and practicing social distancing for a rather long period of time. This may result in loneliness and social isolation because, for example, grandchildren cannot visit their grandparents. In turn, both loneliness and social isolation can have serious deleterious consequences (e.g., in terms of morbidity and mortality). Thus, the question arises: are there ways to mitigate loneliness and social isolation? One way to stay in contact is to use online social media such as Facebook or using video calling software such as Skype. However, there are very few studies examining whether the use of online social media or video chats are associated with loneliness and social isolation in older adults. We sum up some preliminary findings and make a call for further research on the link between online social media use/video chat and loneliness, as well as social isolation, in older adults.

COVID-19 collateral damage: psychological distress and behavioral changes among older adults during the first outbreak in Stockholm, Sweden

“…While we did observe a reduction in frequency of physical meetings with family, friends and neighbors, this was largely met with an increase in phone and video communication with them. This is very important in the context of preventing the negative effects of loneliness and social isolation, as alternate forms of communication may buffer such effects [24,25].…”

Identities: experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of older Chinese immigrants in Canada

“…The pandemic has also stimulated transformation in the social work profession -through virtual delivery of services, community engagement and clinical practices (Cook et al 2020). Given the very real issue of social isolation and loneliness for older adults (Wu 2020), and older immigrant adults (Frank 2020) in particular, the use of technology such as social media and video chats might mitigate these concerns (Hajek and König 2020). Gerontological social workers are encouraged to employ more inclusive virtual service delivery for older adults, paying attention to language and cultural competency.…”

The Association Between Obesity and Social Isolation as Well as Loneliness in the Adult Population: A Systematic Review

“…For example, factors such as social network sites may play a key role during the pandemic. 36 Fourth, since it is well known that self-reported BMI is prone to bias (since individuals tend to overestimate their height and underestimate their weight), 37 future studies based on objective assessments of obesity (eg, based on the hip to waist ratio or based on waist circumference) are required. Fifth, future studies examining gender differences are particularly important to understand the association between obesity and loneliness/isolation in further detail.…”