Benefits of a psychosocial intervention programme using volunteers for the prevention of loneliness among older women living alone in Spain

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention programme in preventing loneliness and increasing self-efficacy and social participation among older women living alone in Spain. A sequential, nested experimental design was used, with a primary quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post study with a control group (CG) and a secondary qualitative study. A total of 48 women participated, and 34 of them (the experimental group, EG) received a 25-hour psychosocial support intervention delivered by volunteers who focused on three aspects: conversation, attribution retraining and behavioural activation. The other women remained on the waiting list (CG = 14). The women (EG and CG) were all interviewed before and after the intervention and a follow-up of the EG was performed at 6 months (N = 25). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect sociodemographic and health-related data, as well as data on satisfaction with the programme and its benefits. Validated instruments were used to collect data on the dependent variables (self-efficacy in ageing, subjective social participation and loneliness). Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Compared to the pre-test results, women in the EG improved their self-efficacy in ageing (t-test: −2.246; p: 0.031; d: 0.30), and, more specifically, their self-efficacy in managing socio-emotional problems such as loneliness (t-test: −1.995; p: 0.054; d: 0.25) and in managing their health (t-test: −2.450; p: 0.020; d: 0.47). No significant differences were observed between the follow-up and the post-test results, meaning that the changes identified after the intervention remained stable. Four additional categories of benefits were identified in the participants' discourses. In conclusion, the intervention appears to be beneficial and effective in improving self-efficacy, which is a well-established predictor of loneliness in old age, in a group of vulnerable individuals. Further studies on this type of community intervention are necessary to prevent loneliness among older people.