1.0
Cite Score 2025
SJR: 0.129 / SNIP: 0.140
JMERC
Owner
Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center (JMERC) is the owner of IJWPH.
Volume 17, Issue 4 (2025)
3 2025, 17(4): 349-354 |
Back to browse issues page
Request Type:
History
Received: 2025/05/24 | Accepted: 2025/07/3 | Published: 2025/11/19
Received: 2025/05/24 | Accepted: 2025/07/3 | Published: 2025/11/19
How to cite this article
Menati R, Omidi N, Omidi M R, Mohamadpour S. Effect of Communication Skills Training Intervention on Reducing Social Isolation. 3 2025; 17 (4) :349-354
URL: http://ijwph.daneshafarand.org/article-3-85656-en.html
URL: http://ijwph.daneshafarand.org/article-3-85656-en.html
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Rights and permissions
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Abstract (758 Views)
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a communication skills training intervention in reducing social isolation among ageing individuals in Ilam city. The necessity of the research is justified by the negative consequences of social isolation on the mental and physical health of the ageing and the lack of effective interventions in this area.
Materials and Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and a control group. The study population consisted of 40 ageing individuals (20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group) with a mean age of 68.4±5.2 years, selected through convenience sampling. The intervention included eight 90-minute sessions of communication skills training. Data were collected using the Standard Social Isolation Scale (SLSI) and analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing dependent t-tests, independent t-tests, and ANCOVA.
Findings: The mean age of participants was 68.4±5.2 years, and 57.5% were female. Results showed that the total social isolation score in the experimental group decreased from 62.3±7.1 to 43.4±6.2. Significant improvements were observed in the components of emotional isolation (5.4±1.2), interactional isolation (5.5±1.5), structural isolation (3.4±1.8), and perceived isolation (4.6±1.3). The control group showed no significant changes.
Conclusion: The findings indicate the significant effectiveness of communication skills training in reducing social isolation among the ageing. It is recommended that this intervention be implemented as a complementary program in ageing care centers and community health houses. Future studies could examine the long-term sustainability of the intervention's effects
Materials and Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and a control group. The study population consisted of 40 ageing individuals (20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group) with a mean age of 68.4±5.2 years, selected through convenience sampling. The intervention included eight 90-minute sessions of communication skills training. Data were collected using the Standard Social Isolation Scale (SLSI) and analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing dependent t-tests, independent t-tests, and ANCOVA.
Findings: The mean age of participants was 68.4±5.2 years, and 57.5% were female. Results showed that the total social isolation score in the experimental group decreased from 62.3±7.1 to 43.4±6.2. Significant improvements were observed in the components of emotional isolation (5.4±1.2), interactional isolation (5.5±1.5), structural isolation (3.4±1.8), and perceived isolation (4.6±1.3). The control group showed no significant changes.
Conclusion: The findings indicate the significant effectiveness of communication skills training in reducing social isolation among the ageing. It is recommended that this intervention be implemented as a complementary program in ageing care centers and community health houses. Future studies could examine the long-term sustainability of the intervention's effects
Keywords:
References
1. Gharib M, Hajghani J, Cheraghmakani H, Rashedi V. Validity and reliability of the Persian version of Alzheimer's disease-related quality of life (P-ADRQL) questionnaire among older Iranian adults. Aging Health Res. 2025;5(2):100229. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.ahr.2025.100229]
2. Güler A, Yıldırım M. Social isolation, loneliness, death stress and life satisfaction in older adults: A serial mediation study. Geriatr Nurs. 2025;62(Pt B):78-85. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.01.037]
3. Liu X, Chen JH, Gao B, Zhang WJ. Social isolation and depressive symptoms among older adults with different functional status in China: A latent class analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025;375:478-85. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2025.01.156]
4. Zhang X, Wei N, Li M, Li L, Lv X, Zhang Y, et al. Sickness presenteeism, job burnout, social support and health-related productivity loss among nurses in the Chinese nurses' health cohort study (TARGET): A cross-sectional survey. Int J Nurs Stud. 2025;162:104962. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104962]
5. Nasirpour N, Mojtabai R, Savari E, Hajebi A, Rahimi-Movaghar A, Motevalian A. Objective socioeconomic status, subjective social status, and mental disorders in Iranian mental health survey (IranMHS): A mediation analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025;372:279-86. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2024.12.019]
6. Lachaud J, Yusuf AA, Maelzer F, Perri M, Gogosis E, Ziegler C, et al. Social isolation and loneliness among people living with experience of homelessness: A scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2515. [Link] [DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-19850-7]
7. Mahdie B, Khatooni M, Senmar M, Movahedeh H, Zarei F, Motalebi SA, et al. The predictive role of social isolation in COVID-19 anxiety among older adults. BMC Geriatr. 2025;25(1):375. [Link] [DOI:10.1186/s12877-025-06046-w]
8. Farina CL, Moreno J, Schneidereith T. Using simulation to improve communication skills. Nurs Clin North Am. 2024;59(3):437-48. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.cnur.2024.02.007]
9. Pan C, Yu L, Cao N. Reciprocal relations of social isolation and multimorbidity in Chinese elderly. Am J Prev Med. 2025;68(1):91-7. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2024.08.020]
10. Lyu C, Siu K, Xu I, Osman I, Zhong J. Social isolation changes and long-term outcomes among older adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(7):e2424519. [Link] [DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24519]
11. Tu L, Li Y, Ren X, Jiang M, Han L, Zheng X. The association of social isolation and loneliness with sarcopenia among the middle-aged and elderly in China. BMC Psychiatry. 2024;24(1):513. [Link] [DOI:10.1186/s12888-024-05958-y]
12. Abbasi A, Farokhzadian J, Torkaman M, Miri S. Schema therapy in partially sighted individuals with a focus on social isolation and self-esteem: An interventional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2025;25(1):289. [Link] [DOI:10.1186/s12888-025-06732-4]
13. Alimoradzadeh R, Jahangiri K, Alimoradzadeh R. Foresight older adults' quality of life in the aging crisis in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Exp Gerontol. 2025;200:112671. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.exger.2024.112671]
14. Alivandi Vafa M, Fathi A, Akbarzadeh Nami R, Bejani H. A comparative study of perceived stress, loneliness, anxiety and marital boredom in veteran and ordinary people's wives. Sci J Mil Psychol. 2022;13(50):105-29. [Persian] [Link]
15. Tabesh F, Maleki F, Nouri F, Zarepur E, Haghighatdoost F, Ghaffari S, et al. Association of whole and refined grains food consumption with coronary artery disease in a multi-center, case-control study of Iranian adults: Iran Premature Coronary Artery Disease (IPAD). Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2025;35(7):103866. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2025.103866]
16. Lai-Yi Wong E, Qiu H, Ho KF, Wai-Ling Cheung A, Leung H, Chen FY, et al. Association of ambient temperature with social isolation among the community-dwelling Chinese older adults: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. Heliyon. 2025;11(1):e41721. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41721]
17. Hounkpatin H, Islam N, Stuart B, Santer M, Farmer A, Dambha-Miller H. The association of loneliness and social isolation with multimorbidity over 14 years in older adults in England: A population-based cohort study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2025;131:105763. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.archger.2025.105763]
18. Svensson M, Ekström H, Elmståhl S, Rosso A. Association of polypharmacy, fall-risk-increasing drugs, and cardiovascular drugs with loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr Plus. 2024;1(4):100089. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.aggp.2024.100089]
19. Shafiei SS, Mosavi Viyaye F. The lived experience of women in war-affected families; A reflection on the role of a wife in a veteran's family. J Iran Soc Stud. 2022;16(1):78-99. [Persian] [Link]
20. Wang X, Wang Y, Zhang F, Ge D, Guo Z. Associations between social isolation, perceived ageism and subjective well-being among rural Chinese older adults: A cross-sectional study. Geriatr Nurs. 2024;59:598-603. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.08.014]
21. Shimada H, Doi T, Tsutsumimoto K, Makino K, Harada K, Tomida K, et al. Combined effects of social isolation and loneliness on disability incidence in older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2025;131:105749. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.archger.2025.105749]
22. Zhang D. Pain and the risk of social isolation and loneliness in older Chinese adults: Do gender, age, and education make a difference?. Soc Sci Med. 2024;363:117486. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117486]
23. Zheng DD, Lee DJ, Rundek T, Lam BL, Gregori NZ, Curiel RE, et al. Visual impairment and cognitive function in aging adults: Sex and age differences in mediating effect of social isolation and depression. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025;274:196-208. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.ajo.2025.02.043]
24. Liu Q, Huang Y, Jin Y, Wang B, Li Y, Zhou W, et al. Effects of loneliness and social isolation on sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults: The mediating role of depressive symptoms and cognitive function. J Affect Disord. 2025;380:308-16. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.143]
25. Wang M, Li W, Ding Z, Chen J, Mei Z, Song Y, et al. Social isolation and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults: Serial mediating roles of social support and resilience. Geriatr Nurs. 2025;61:589-95. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.12.027]
26. Jiang HX, Ding C, Liu YC, Yu J. Good sleep quality shields older adults from depressive symptoms linked to isolation: Comparing online and in-person social connections. Geriatr Nurs. 2025;62(Pt B):51-7. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.01.035]
27. Marziali RA, Franceschetti C, Dinculescu A, Nistorescu A, Kristály DM, Moșoi AA, et al. Reducing loneliness and social isolation of older adults through voice assistants: Literature review and bibliometric analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2024;26:e50534. [Link] [DOI:10.2196/50534]
28. Kidman PG, Curtis RG, Watson A, Maher CA. When and why adults abandon lifestyle behavior and mental health mobile apps: Scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2024;26:e56897. [Link] [DOI:10.2196/56897]