Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly

Literature examining social activity levels and depression in older adulthood has grown rapidly over the past decade in the hope it may lead to effective preventative or treatment options. To provide an update on this rapidly developing field, this article briefly reviews recent (2010–present) results reported in observational studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and a meta-analysis examining social activity and depression in older adults. A total of 13 recent observational studies suggest small- to medium-strength relationships between social activity and depression in older adults, as does a recent meta-analysis. However, RCTs suggest little effect of social activities on depression status during the intervention, but possibly a small benefit at three-month follow-up. Additional studies are required to further examine the specific features of depression (eg mood, self-worth) related to social activity and whether an effect of social activity on depression in older adults exists beyond alternative explanations for the relationship (eg an effect of depression on social activity).