Introduction
There has been a significant rise in Loneliness research and awareness which has highlighted the widespread impact it has on our mental and physical health [1]. Research shows that loneliness can lead to depression, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, self-harm and early mortality [2]. This has major implication for workplace productivity and healthcare expenses.
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Research is also focused on Loneliness variants (e.g., situational, emotional or social). and challenges with commonly practiced unidimensional interventions (focusing on one therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] We now have evidence that interventions using these techniques have limited impact as do not take individual’s core loneliness cause into consideration (one-size-fits-all fallacy).
Understudied area within loneliness research are the benefits of Multi-Dimensional techniques coupled with Customized treatment plans. This approach (MDC) has the potential of extending the longevity and impact of the intervention [3].
Research Scope- Multidimensional intervention with individualized focus
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Proposed solution – Our team has been analyzing factors which trigger loneliness and has identified 2 main causes, namely lack of Purpose, loss of self-Value. These two contribute to a feeling of Hopelessness. These 3 factors (PVH) cause the individual assume that their social visibility has diminished. They also assume (due to mobility or financial reasons) that there is no help to spring back to a positive frame of mind.
Our solution comprises of an AI enabled smartphone app in which two audio bots are discussing topics related to individual’s hobbies or profession. These bots are trained by Mental health SMEs to imbed topics and queries related to purpose, value and hope. This enables the individual to consume positive therapy in a safe, relaxed, informal environment. Individuals can reflect and re-evaluate their negative thoughts, learn skills, renew social connections. All from the comfort of their home and at convenient time.
Planned validation – We propose identify a group of 30 seniors, in a senior care facility (Residential), and conduct our MDC-HPV study. We will evaluate their loneliness and liveliness scores at the start of the intervention and at regular intervals.
During this study, the digital solution (app) will enable and encourage patients using the MDC-HPV intervention approach to reduce loneliness. App can capture real-time monitoring by performing regular loneliness/liveliness scoring thereby giving care-givers feedback and progress updates.
Safeguards – Our app comes with pre-built guardrails to prevent any harmful content from AI. This also ensure no PHI, bias and negative feedback Our solution also has templates and built-in AI personas. This enables AI to wear multiple hats (like friend, trainer, cheer leader etc.) This enables app to customize to changing user needs.
We will also test the emergency and safety guardrails during the pilot. If user reports harmful intent via a combination or words or sentences, app will capture the instance details, escalate to care-take or emergency contact and connect to 988. If the harm intent is not explicit but implied, app will prompt the user with related questions to clarify their intent.
The duration of this study will be 2 months. We will need participants to chat with the app at least once a day.
Pilot outcome - We are targeting loneliness reductions (SMD scores > 0.5, with CI 95%) 6-9 months post intervention. We are also targeting liveliness score increase in users (tbd)
References
[1] https://reporter.nih.gov/matchmaker/gA8MzKyPQUmdZhU80qP__A/projects - number of grants on loneliness, mental health, isolation and related projects has gone up from low 100s to over 200 between 2023 and 2025
[2] https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/risk-factors/index.html - loneliness and health impact
[3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00382-3 - Walsh, B.E., Rottenberg, J. & Schlauch, R.C. Why loneliness requires a multidimensional approach: a critical narrative review. Nat. Mental Health 3, 175–184 (2025)
[4] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1427605/full - meta analysis
[5] https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-amp0001578.pdf
[6] https://agmr.hapres.com/htmls/AGMR_1255_Detail.html Akhter-Khan SC, Au R. Why loneliness interventions are unsuccessful: A call for precision health. Adv Geriatr Med Res. 2020;
[7] https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-17097-2 - Morrish, N., Choudhury, S. & Medina-Lara, A. What works in interventions targeting loneliness: a systematic review of intervention characteristics. BMC Public Health 23, 2214 (2023)
[8] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861024005322 - meta analysis
[9] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11676195/#app1-nursrep-14-00281 Zaharia G, Ibáñez-Del Valle V, Cauli O, Corchón S. The Long-Lasting Effect of Multidisciplinary Interventions for Emotional and Social Loneliness in Older Community-Dwelling Individuals: A Systematic Review. Nurse Rep. 2024 Dec 6;14(4):3847-3863.