NCT04797026

Penpal Loneliness Project

Reducing Loneliness With Penpal Connections

• Status: Withdrawn
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 0 (actual)
• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this research is to study whether sending letters helps reduce loneliness for either the facility resident or the teenager.

Detailed description

Hypothesis: Our hypothesis is that a social program connecting patients in residential care facilities with high school students through monthly letter writing would positively impact quality of life for both, reducing quantitative and qualitiative measures of loneliness Aims, purpose, or objectives: Our objective is to reduce loneliness and increase quality of life for patients residing in residential care facilities and for high school students. Background (Include relevant experience, gaps in current knowledge, preliminary data, etc.): In response to the Covid pandemic, to protect their residents, residential care facilities have implemented restrictions limiting visitors as well as social activities. Anecdoctally this has negative impacted the quality of life of those residents, increasing their loneliness. Previous studies have shown positive impact of intergenerational programs including penpal programs.

Conditions

• Loneliness

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Letters to increase social connection with goal to alleviate loneliness	Our hypothesis is that a social program connecting patients in residential care facilities with high school students through monthly letter writing would positively impact quality of life for both, reducing quantitative and qualitiative measures of loneliness

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-09-15
• Primary completion: 2022-03-15
• Completion: 2022-03-20
• First posted: 2021-03-15
• Last updated: 2021-12-30