Supporting goal setting to promote social connection in older adults: a rapid review.

Authors

Peilin Chen, Daniel Fineberg, Rajna Ogrin

Published in

BMJ open. Volume 16. Issue 9. Pages e120085. Sep 22, 2026. Epub Sep 22, 2026.

Abstract

To synthesise how goal setting and goal attainment have been operationalised within interventions aiming to promote social connection and reduce loneliness or social isolation among older adults and to identify recurrent components of these approaches that may inform intervention design.
Rapid review.
MEDLINE (via PubMed) and CINAHL (via EBSCOhost) were searched. Reference lists of included studies were also screened for additional relevant studies.
Studies involving adults aged 60 years or above, or populations defined as older adults by the study author, were eligible if they evaluated interventions that incorporated goal-setting or goal-attainment support to promote social connection or social participation or reduced loneliness or social isolation. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies were eligible. Studies were excluded if they were observational without an intervention component, protocols without outcome data, conference abstracts or not published in English.
Data were extracted using a structured framework covering study characteristics, intervention context, goal-setting and goal-attainment support, delivery characteristics and relevant outcomes. Findings were synthesised thematically using an inductive-deductive approach. The resulting recurring implementation components were subsequently interpreted using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework as an implementation-oriented lens.
13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Thematic synthesis identified seven recurring implementation components of goal-setting support: (1) structured and theory-informed approaches; (2) relational facilitation and supportive accountability; (3) ongoing monitoring, feedback and goal review; (4) social accountability and group-based support; (5) flexible delivery models and accessibility; (6) meaningful, person-centred goals and (7) tailored support for individuals with complex needs. These components were observed across diverse intervention settings, populations and delivery models. Interpretation using the RE-AIM framework highlighted practical implementation considerations relating to intervention reach, adoption, implementation, effectiveness and maintenance.
This rapid review synthesised how goal-setting support has been operationalised within interventions promoting social connection among older adults. Rather than identifying a single optimal approach to goal setting, the review identified seven recurring implementation components that describe how goal-setting support has been delivered across diverse intervention contexts. These findings provide practical implementation considerations to inform the design, adaptation, implementation and evaluation of future community-based and social prescribing interventions.

PMID:
42772889
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Sep 2026.

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