A randomized controlled trial comparing brief online self-guided interventions for loneliness.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Loneliness is a significant global health concern.
• Existing interventions face scalability challenges.
• Brief online interventions offer a potential solution for wider access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness and acceptability of two self-guided online loneliness interventions against an active control.
• To evaluate a single-session intervention (SSI) and a 3-week, three-session intervention for loneliness.

Main Methods:

• A preregistered three-armed trial with 908 participants (ages 16-78) was conducted.
• Interventions included a loneliness SSI, a 3-week loneliness program, and a supportive therapy SSI (control).
• Outcomes measured were loneliness reduction, intervention acceptability, and completion rates.

Main Results:

• Loneliness decreased across all groups, with no significant difference between loneliness interventions and the control.
• Both loneliness interventions were rated as more acceptable than the control.
• Completion rates were highest for the control SSI (86.6%) and loneliness SSI (69.4%) compared to the 3-week intervention (14.9%).

Conclusions:

• A single-session intervention (SSI) for loneliness was comparable in effectiveness to a longer program and had higher completion rates.
• Neither online loneliness intervention significantly reduced loneliness more than the active control.
• Future research should focus on developing more effective SSIs and identifying suitable populations.