Using single case design and mixed methodology to evaluate a community-based befriending intervention for older Irish adults

This presentation will describe the design and results of a mix method study of a community-embedded befriending intervention in Dublin, Ireland. There is mixed evidence regarding the impact of befriending interventions on loneliness. However, befriending interventions may instead yield an impact on health-related quality of life of older adults. We explored this hypothesis and additionally whether such an intervention might buffer the negative impact of loneliness on health-related quality of life of older adults. A single-case experimental design approach was used with new users (n = 86) between 2018 and 2021. Generalised additive modelling was used to analyse the intensive longitudinal data. Furthermore, dyadic qualitative interviews were used with befriending service users and volunteer partners to explore potential mechanisms through which befriending might impact the health of older adults. The befriending intervention yielded a therapeutic effect on health-related quality of life of older adults, and buffered the negative effect of loneliness on health-related quality of life. Dyadic interviews revealed five key mechanisms through which befriending services might impact health, including via health behaviour support and cognitive stimulation. In conclusion, the results suggest that befriending services are beneficial for maintaining the health of older adults, and that they ought to be advised in this respect, rather than as solutions to loneliness. In this presentation, results will be discussed in the context of policy and service recommendations we developed during this research.