Meeting Loved Ones Offline Guards Against Depression

Frequent or minimal phone conversations or emails had no effect on depression.

The researchers pointed out, though, that frequent contact with friends and family was only helpful if it was harmonious.

The therapy was most effective for those whose parents were not depressed. Indeed, “from prior studies we know that having social support and staying connected with people is good for your physical and mental health”. It could be, for instance, a person predisposed to depression is more likely to withdraw and avoid contact with loved ones.

A study published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatics Society shows the value of in-person contact.

What kind of research was this?

They think there is an association between the time that people spend with beloved persons, but they would like to further study this aspect.

Researchers examined the frequency of face-to-face, telephone and written social contact, including email.

Lastly, a difference was revealed between meeting with a family member or friend.

They then looked at the risk of depression symptoms two years later, taking into account factors including health status, how close people lived from family as well as pre-existing depression. At the end of the experiment, scientists have noticed that depression rates were significantly higher among participants, who only engaged in face-to-face interactions on very rare occasions. But, crucially, depressed people did not seem to have an impact on the state of mind of those around them.

Social contact was measured by the self-administered Leave-Behind Questionnaire conducted in a random sample of the HRS and contains measures of social contact.

Those who saw friends and family at least three times a week had a 6.5% risk of depression two years later, compared with 11.5% for those who only saw friends and family every few months.

And in conclusion, Dr. Teo notes, “Most previous studies – including mine in [2013] – have not been able to specify whether the social contact is occurring in-person or by other means”.

While the study focused on older adults, Teo believes the larger population benefits from their findings, adding that making a phone call is the first time but scheduling face time- not FaceTime- is “preventative medicine, like getting a regular dose of vitamins”.

A team of researchers from Oregon Health and Science University found that participants who regularly met in person with family and friends were less likely to report symptoms of depression, compared with others who emailed or spoke on the phone.

How did the researchers interpret the results?

Does Mode of Contact with Different Types of Social Relationships Predict Depression Among Older Adults? “Clinicians should consider encouraging face-to-face social interactions as a preventive strategy for depression”.

The team found that having little face-to-face social contact almost doubles the risk of having depression two years later.

Past research suggests lack of social interaction can be a key contributor to depression among seniors and can even lead to premature death.