The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • Editor’s Blog
  • Contributors’ Blog
  • Research
  • Practice
  • Profiles
  • News
  • Webinars
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

How peer mentoring affects depression, loneliness, and social engagement within long-term care settings

April 28, 2020/0 Comments/in Mentoring Research /by Ariel Ervin

Theurer, K. A., Stone, R. I., Suto, M. J., Timonen, V., Brown, S. G., & Mortenson, W. B. (2020). The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Loneliness, Depression, and Social Engagement in Long-Term Care. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0733464820910939. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464820910939

Summarized by Ariel Ervin

Notes of Interest:

  • There are limited opportunities for the elderly population, who are living in long-term care settings (i.e. assisted living, retirement homes, & nursing homes), to engage in meaningful social interactions  
  • Peer mentoring can help boost the social citizenship of the elderly population
  • This current study examines the influence that mentoring has on mentee’s depression, loneliness, and social engagement; it also looks at how mentees perceive peer mentoring relationships
  • Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted
  • Findings suggest that mentoring can potentially encourage individuals to become more involved, especially for those that usually don’t engage much in social activities
  • Rates of depression and loneliness decreased as the peer mentorship progressed
  • More research needs to be conducted to assess how effective peer mentoring is in providing social and emotional support within long-term care settings 

Introduction (Reprinted from the Abstract)

Loneliness, depression, and social isolation are common among people living in long-term care homes, despite the activities provided. We examined the impact of a new peer mentoring program called Java Mentorship on mentees’ loneliness, depression, and social engagement, and described their perceptions of the visits. We conducted a mixed-methods approach in 10 homes in Ontario, Canada, and enrolled residents as mentees (n = 74). We used quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to understand their experience. After 6 months, mentees (n = 43) showed a 30% reduction in depression (p = .02, d = .76), a 12% reduction in loneliness (p = .02, d = .76), and a 60% increase in the number of monthly programs attended (p = .01, d = .37), with small-to-medium effect sizes. The analysis of mentee’s interviews revealed positive perceptions. This program offers an innovative, nonpharmacological alternative to the treatment of loneliness and depression.

Implications (Reprinted from the Discussion)

In this article, we explored mentorship as a potential program for reducing loneliness and depression and increasing social engagement among residents who are isolated within long-term care homes. Although the study design does not permit causal inferences to be made, the findings suggest that mentoring may be a useful approach for engaging residents who are typically not involved. The findings are buttressed by the congruence between the quantitative and qualitative findings and the fact that quantitative data demonstrated both subjective (psychological) and objective (program attendance) changes. The decrease in loneliness observed is remarkable given the many failures of loneliness interventions noted previously in the literature (de Jong-Gierveld et al., 2018). Prior research indicates that the consequences of loneliness are not adequately addressed in many existing programs and that there is a lack of evidence on how to improve the outcomes (Cohen-Mansfield, 2014). The mentorship program is different as it is based on a theoretical foundation and has a structure that is built on weekly team meetings, education for the mentors, and visiting in pairs to enhance social engagement among socially isolated residents. This result resonates with prior research that indicates the importance of relationships and reciprocity in social support (Brownie & Horstmanshof, 2011). Cohen-Mansfield and Parpura-Gill (2007) proposed that psychosocial factors have the strongest influence on loneliness and that preventive programs that include multiple opportunities for engagement will have the greatest effect. The program’s structure enabled mentors to use a variety of approaches during visits and to visit throughout the week as their schedules allowed. For instance, one mentee described that her loneliness was most intense in the evenings and that she valued a chance to talk at that time of day. Consequently, having flexible times for the mentors’ visits was useful and may have contributed to the decrease in loneliness scores overall.

Our finding of reduced depressive symptoms is also notable. Given the recalcitrant nature of depression in these settings (Conn & Snowden, 2010), it is important to highlight that the toll depression takes on the health of older adults, which includes increased cognitive decline and dementia, and reduced functioning and quality of life (Hawkley & Capitanio, 2015). This decrease in depressive symptoms is consistent with an earlier study that found peer mentoring as a promising model of depression care delivery for older adults (Joo et al., 2016). Long-term care residents often have fewer friends and family contacts (Meeks & Looney, 2011), so relationships with peers may help residents cope with the many losses they experience. As over a third of the mentees had GDS-SF scores suggestive of depression, the importance of these connections with their peers and the pleasure they derived from these connections is noteworthy. If this intervention proves to be effective in future experimental studies, it might help address an overwhelming need.

Our finding of increased engagement among mentees in other programs is also significant. This finding suggests a potentially significant impact of residents helping their peers to connect socially and emotionally in their communities. Program attendance might drive decreases in loneliness and reductions in depression. However, the quality of those programs and residents’ engagement in them are also likely to be important (Theurer et al., 2015). Another possibility is that the reduced feeling of loneliness encourages participation, thereby creating a positive feedback loop.

 

To access this article, click here.

 

 

Related posts:

New research observes combination of peer youth mentoring and multimedia Boy in classroom being mentoredHow this understudied aspect of a mentoring relationship might influence its quality Utilizing peer-mentoring for capability-building in Kenyan integrated HIV health and sexual reproductive health services Mentor outcomes in a peer-mentoring program
Tags: depression, elderly, loneliness, mentoring, peer mentoring, senior citizens, social engagement
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.evidencebasedmentoring.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/side-view-of-thoughtful-senior-woman-relaxing-in-l-9K7GCAW-scaled.jpg 683 1024 Ariel Ervin https://www.evidencebasedmentoring.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/chronicle-logo-1.png Ariel Ervin2020-04-28 11:00:072020-04-30 17:56:51How peer mentoring affects depression, loneliness, and social engagement within long-term care settings
You might also like
Mentors’ Corner: Should we e-mail, text, tweet, or “friend” each other?
Combining mentoring with structured group activities: A potential after-school context for fostering relationships between girls and mentors
When College students mentor high-risk youth: Two important lessons
European Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring releases inaugural newsletter!
MENTOR and Center highlighted at Social Impact Exchange Conference
Registration has opened for the 2016 Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota Annual Mentoring Caucus
Utilizing peer-mentoring for capability-building in Kenyan integrated HIV health and sexual reproductive health services
A conversation with Whitney Mastin: YIM at the programmatic level

Editor’s Blog

  • Giving psychology away: The promise of paraprofessional mentorsJanuary 20, 2021 -

Worth Another Look

  • To disclose or not to disclose?October 23, 2020 -
  • What Works In Mentoring? New UVA Scale Can Shed LightSeptember 28, 2020 -
  • Empathy – A Critical Ingredient in Youth Mentoring Relationships?April 26, 2018 -
  • What we can learn from a “glittering ounce” of good newsMarch 1, 2018 -
  • Youth-initiated mentoring: An idea whose time has comeOctober 12, 2017 -

Follow Us On Twitter

Every other week a newsletter is sent out containing a new article written by Dr. Jean Rhodes, as well as other important articles related to mentoring. Sign up for our newsletter by visiting our website at the link below. #mentoring #research evidencebasedmentoring.org/su… pic.twitter.com/ONYU7nEgtr

About 4 days ago from CEBM at UMass Boston's Twitter via LaterMedia

Given how important mentoring is for PYD, it’s important to understand how different mentoring strategies affect mentees’ perceived experiences. This study explores how mentors’ approaches to relationship building affect mentee- perceived social support. evidencebasedmentoring.org/ho… pic.twitter.com/TTGoDpk8pQ

About 4 days ago from CEBM at UMass Boston's Twitter via LaterMedia

Read this new study that explores how mentor type can affect support for foster youth transitioning to college. #fosterchildren #highereducation #informalmentoring #mentoring evidencebasedmentoring.org/ho… pic.twitter.com/05lQLmOcTM

About 5 days ago from CEBM at UMass Boston's Twitter via LaterMedia

Mentoring relationships not only provide youth with more access to supportive adults but also can have a positive impact on their development. This study explores how schools and program predictors can affect mentor retention. evidencebasedmentoring.org/th… pic.twitter.com/gneAw8nKBr

About 6 days ago from CEBM at UMass Boston's Twitter via LaterMedia

Despite mental health professionals’ interests in trauma & resilience, there is still limited research that focuses on how this affects Black women. This study examines intimate partner violence, resilience, & posttraumatic growth in Black women. evidencebasedmentoring.org/ne… pic.twitter.com/tqJXzHTOG0

About 2 weeks ago from CEBM at UMass Boston's Twitter via LaterMedia

like us on facebook

Topics of Interest

academic mentoring (54) adolescence (90) adolescent development (144) adolescents (74) at-risk youth (228) big brothers big sisters (43) COVID-19 (60) editor's blog (40) Editor's Corner (59) emerging adulthood (65) formal mentoring (98) high-risk youth (101) higher education (33) implications for mentoring (46) implications for youth mentoring (132) improving mentoring programs (109) mental health (69) Mentor (78) mentor/mentee relationship (50) mentor/mentee relationships (69) mentoring (432) mentoring in schools (44) mentoring in the news (71) mentoring relationships (181) mentoring research (71) mentor roles (62) mentor training (54) natural mentoring (86) natural mentors (47) New Mentoring Research (57) positive youth development (207) practice (61) profiles in mentoring (46) research (212) research from related fields (54) school-based mentoring (73) social media (30) training (43) underrepresented populations (84) underserved populations (119) volunteering (51) webinar (41) youth (94) youth mentoring (231) youth mentoring research (84)

Sponsors

  • National Mentoring PartnershipMENTOR: The National Mentoring PartnershipNovember 12, 2014 -

    MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) is the unifying champion for expanding quality youth mentoring relationships in the United States. For nearly 25 years, MENTOR has served the mentoring field by providing a public voice, developing and delivering resources to mentoring programs nationwide and promoting quality for mentoring through standards, cutting-edge research and state of the art tools.

  • Academic Web PagesAugust 6, 2012 -

    Academic Web Pages is the leading provider of customized websites for researchers, centers, nonprofits, and universities. AWP designed and has contributed generously to the creation of the Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring.

Instagram

Follow Us!
The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring. All rights reserved. Site By Academic Web Pages.
  • Home
  • Editor’s Blog
  • Contributors’ Blog
  • Research
  • Practice
  • Profiles
  • News
  • Webinars
  • SUBSCRIBE
Your browser does not support the video tag.
    instagram default popup image round

    My name here

    Follow Me

    It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when lookin

    502k 100k 3 month ago
    Share
    We use cookies to analyze site traffic and provide a better browsing experience. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Learn more about our updated Privacy Statement that supports the new EU data protection laws. Ok
    Scroll to top