Treatment of Gender in Research on Intervention Programs Targeting Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: Scoping Review

TL;DR

This review highlights the lack of gender consideration in social isolation and loneliness interventions for older adults, showing a bias toward female participants and the need for gender-specific approaches.

Contribution

The study reveals a significant gender bias in participant selection and intervention design for social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

Findings

Most studies included predominantly female participants, with only one study having more males.

Men showed higher participation in meditation programs, while women preferred conversation-based interventions.

Gender-specific issues were largely ignored in research objectives and outcomes.

Abstract

Social isolation and loneliness have considerable health implications. Research indicates that older men are generally more susceptible to social isolation compared with women, highlighting the need to integrate gender-responsive approaches in the development and implementation of interventions for mitigating social isolation and loneliness in later life.

This study aimed to conduct a review of intervention programs targeting social isolation and loneliness, focusing on gender-specific considerations. Specifically, it aims to examine the gender composition (male-to-female ratio) of participants in intervention programs and identify and analyze intervention strategies that demonstrate gender-sensitive effectiveness.

A scoping review was conducted as per the Joanna Briggs Institute manual for evidence synthesis. A comprehensive literature search, including hand searching, was conducted across 6 English-language databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, for papers and reports published in 2013-2023. The authors, country, subjects, research design, intervention method, results, and mentions of gender for each included document were presented.

The study identified 1282 papers and reports, of which 10 were selected for analysis. Only 1 study reported a higher number of male participants compared with female ones; in contrast, all other studies included predominantly female samples. The studies assessed outcomes based on 2 indicators of social isolation, 4 indicators of loneliness, and 29 other indicators. Exercise and workshops proved effective for social isolation and loneliness, while meditation and laughter therapy were effective for loneliness. The intervention with the highest percentage of male participants (264/323, 82%) was a customized meditation program. Conversely, physical activities, social support, and community-based group health classes drew more female participants. In total, 8 studies did not mention gender in the discussion section, and none considered gender-specific issues in formulating research objectives and outcomes.

Research on social isolation and loneliness has generally ignored the influence of gender. The review also indicated a gender bias in participant selection, with women markedly overrepresented in study samples. The study found that women tend to prefer interventions emphasizing conversations, shared experiences, and emotional exchange. In contrast, men showed the highest participation in a meditation program focused on self-dialogue, which required minimal interaction. Importantly, interventions aimed at promoting social interaction or participation are unlikely to succeed without consideration of gender-specific issues. Therefore, systematically identifying conditions necessary for effective interventions that target older men is crucial for guiding future research and program development.

Open Science Framework 10.17605/OSF.IO/83JQF; hhttps://osf.io/83jqf/overview

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