Call for papers - Social isolation and loneliness in aging

Guest Editors

Tamara Alhambra-Borras, PhD, University of Valencia, Spain
Angelique Chan, PhD, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 11 March 2025

BMC Geriatrics invites submissions to our Collection on Social isolation and loneliness in aging.

Social isolation and loneliness have emerged as critical public health issues, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that 25% of older adults are affected worldwide. Quality of life, longevity, and mortality are significantly impacted by social isolation, with an effect comparable to risk factors, such as smoking and physical inactivity. This collection aims to explore the challenges of social isolation and loneliness among older adults and their impact on health and well-being.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Tamara Alhambra-Borras, PhD, University of Valencia, Spain

Dr Tamara Alhambra-Borrás, a researcher at Polibienestar Research Institute – University of Valencia (Spain), holds a PhD in Psychology and has extensive experience in engaging in European projects both as a researcher and as project manager. Her international experience extends to health-related projects, particularly in India and South Africa. Dr Alhambra-Borrás holds a teaching position in both the Psychology program and the Master's program focused on Gerontology and Person-centred care. Furthermore, she has served as an evaluation expert for the European Commission, the Latvian Council of Science and the Icelandic Research Fund.

Angelique Chan, PhD, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

Associate Professor Angelique Chan is one of Singapore’s thought leaders on ageing, with a consistent track record of more than 25 years of high quality, context-sensitive, and policy-relevant research. She is the founding Director of the Centre for Ageing Research and Education at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. To date, she has obtained over 20 million Singapore dollars in grant funding to study active and productive ageing in Singapore; specifically social engagement, physical health and activity, and psychological wellbeing among Singaporean older adults. Currently, she leads a national data collection effort to collect longitudinal data on older adults (60+) in Singapore which is being used for policy and programming for the nation.

About the Collection

BMC Geriatrics invites submissions to our collection on Social isolation and loneliness in aging.

This collection aims to explore the challenges of social isolation and loneliness among older adults and their impact on health and well-being. We welcome original research on topics including but not limited to:

Epidemiology: investigating trends and demographic correlates of social isolation and loneliness in aging populations
Health outcomes: examining the relationships between social isolation, loneliness, and various physical and mental health outcomes, including cardiovascular health, cognitive decline, and mortality
Determinants and risk factors: identifying factors contributing to social isolation and loneliness in older adults, such as changes in social networks, loss of spouse or friends, and socio-economic factors
Interventions and strategies: evaluating interventions, programs, and community-based initiatives designed to prevent or alleviate social isolation and loneliness
Technology and innovation: exploring the role of technology, digital platforms, and virtual interventions in mitigating social isolation and loneliness, and promoting social connectedness among older adults

Social connections are known to be vital to both mental and physical well-being. Social isolation and loneliness have emerged as critical public health issues, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that 25% of older adults are impacted worldwide. Quality of life, longevity, and mortality are significantly impacted by social isolation, with an effect comparable to risk factors, such as smoking and physical inactivity. In order to promote healthy aging and enhance the quality of life of older adults, it is essential that we better understand the underlying causes and consequences of social isolation.

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Social isolation and loneliness in aging" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.