The Impact of a Befriending Service on Health-related Quality of Life in Older Adults: An Interventional N-of-1 Pilot Study (Preprint)

McHugh Power, Joanna E., Holton, Eimile, Lawlor, Brian A., Kee, Frank, Scharf, Thomas, Kelly, Michelle E. and Hannigan, Caoimhe (2024) The Impact of a Befriending Service on Health-related Quality of Life in Older Adults: An Interventional N-of-1 Pilot Study (Preprint). Research Square. ISSN 2693-5015

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Abstract

Purpose: Befriending interventions are unlikely to reduce loneliness, but they may provide social support which buffers the negative impact of loneliness on health outcomes of older adults. An interventional N-of-1 design was used to assess the impact of a befriending intervention on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) among older adults, and whether such intervention attenuated the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL.

Methods: Participants were n = 33 new users of the service, aged 60+. Outcomes were measured at 13 timepoints across 26 weeks, and data were analysed using generalised additive modelling (GAM) with a subset of data analysed using visual analysis.

Results: Results indicate that the befriending service may reduce decline of HR-QoL (i.e., health declined in the baseline phase over time: edf = 3.893, F = 3.0, p=0.002, while in the treatment phase, health remained more stable: edf = 5.98, F = 2.98, p=.008). The befriending intervention also suppressed the association between loneliness and HR-QoL.

Conclusion: We supported our hypothesis, that befriending interventions may moderate the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL. Interventional N-of-1 designs however carry considerable recruitment and participant burden, which should be considered prior to onset. This research provides an insight into practical difficulties when evaluating existing community-based services, particularly in relation to adhering to best practice design guidelines.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Psychology; intensive longitudinal; N-of-1; quality of life; loneliness
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform > Community Development H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare > Welfare of older people
Divisions:	School of Business > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	23 May 2025 18:08
Last Modified:	23 May 2025 18:08
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/7634

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