Impact of social phone programs on loneliness and mood in older adults: a mixed methods systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this mixed methods review is to examine the effectiveness and experience of social phone programs on loneliness and/or mood in community-dwelling older adults.

Introduction: There is a large and growing older adult population that is burdened with loneliness. Loneliness affects both physical and mental health, and it is, therefore, imperative to examine ways of mitigating experiences of loneliness. Social phone programs are being offered through multiple organizations as a way of increasing socialization and decreasing loneliness in older adults. There is a need to examine existing data on social phone programs to determine their effectiveness and optimize their implementation.

Inclusion Criteria: Included studies will be original qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research, along with gray literature, examining the use of social phone programs to address loneliness and/or mood in older adults.

Methods: A convergent segregated mixed methods approach will be used, in line with the JBI methodology for mixed methods reviews. Articles will be searched in selected databases, sources of clinical trials, and gray literature. No limits have been set for language or date of publication. Two team members will select studies through title and abstract screening and then full-text screening. Critical appraisal will be performed in accordance with the standard JBI critical assessment tools, although no articles will be excluded based on this appraisal. Quantitative articles will be synthesized using meta-analysis, while a process of meta-aggregation will be used for qualitative articles. The findings will be integrated into a final report.

Systematic Review Registration Number: PROSPERO CRD42022335119.