Connecting community

ATLANTA — In a world that’s more digitally connected than ever, a problem is brewing in the U.S.: Americans are growing increasingly isolated, and many are grappling with loneliness.

The problem is so widespread that the surgeon general and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning it poses a threat to public health.

Now, a pioneering project aims to tackle the growing issue, bringing together community leaders, researchers and mental health experts to design interventions to bridge those social and emotional gaps that often leave people feeling disconnected.

Regents’ Professor Michael Eriksen, the founding dean of the School of Public Health at Georgia State, is a principal investigator for the Prevention Research Center (PRC). Located on the Clarkston Campus of Georgia State’s Perimeter College, the PRC is part of a network of academic research facilities across the U.S. working to counter the risks of chronic illnesses.

“This is a topic that has become incredibly important,” Eriksen says. “We are looking at a variety of contributing factors, from social media to the pandemic, and even financial frustrations. Isolation has deepened, and the consequences are clear: a decline in mental health and shorter life expectancy. This has sparked a renewed focus on reconnecting individuals and creating interventions to combat loneliness.”

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has called loneliness and isolation an epidemic and shared that its health impacts can be compared to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Associate Professor of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences Ashli Owen-Smith is one of the experts working on the PRC’s core research team. She says one of the most interesting facets of this problem — and one that makes it hard to battle — is that humans are hardwired to avoid acknowledging it.

Whether due to shame or social self-preservation, psychology experts say people actually build up defenses against finding ways to connect.

“There is a kind of vicious cycle of loneliness where individuals are fearful of or hesitant to engage in some of these programs,” Owen-Smith says. “Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies have a strong evidence base in terms of helping people deal with those maladaptive social cognitions. So, it’s important to provide the opportunity, and then help with what we think of as kind of retraining. That’s a big part of it.”

By blending evidence-based approaches, the project aims to tailor mindfulness practices for use alongside CBT strategies to meet the unique needs of individuals across a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

“Interventions to address social isolation and loneliness can’t just provide opportunities for social connection, for example: a gardening class, a tai chi class or a yoga class. They also have to address what we call maladaptive cognitions and avoidance behavior,” Owen-Smith says.

Through a $5 million grant from the CDC, the PRC will develop strategies and programs that help people dealing with social isolation in communities already at risk. The work will be centered in Clarkston, Ga. With more than 14,000 people from over 60 different countries living within one square mile, it’s often called the most diverse city in America.

Daniel Whitaker is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences and the associate dean for research in the School of Public Health. He says it’s noteworthy that social isolation is now being recognized as a driver of many chronic health issues.

According to the CDC, social isolation and loneliness can increase the risk of a number of health problems, including heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety, suicidality and self-harm, dementia, and early death.

“What’s most compelling about this grant is trying to reach what’s likely a very isolated population to bring programming to them that can reduce that isolation and hopefully improve overall health,” Whitaker says. “We know that social isolation impacts certain communities harder than others, including refugees and community members with lower incomes, so there is a lot to be gained by the community-based nature of the study.”

The PRC team is coordinating closely with a community advisory board made up of diverse stakeholders to ensure they are reaching the people most in need. Leaders of the Clarkston Community Center (CCC) are among the partners who will work with the PRC to bring together people through education, recreation and the arts.

CCC Executive Director Luay Sami says the partnership holds a lot of promise for people in Clarkston and beyond.

“This project holds tremendous potential to transform lives by fostering meaningful social connections and a strong sense of belonging, and reducing the health risks associated with prolonged isolation,” Sami says. “By tackling social isolation at a community level, we’re setting a model for resilience and inclusivity that other communities can adapt and replicate.”

The research team will be working with mental health experts with deep connections in the community to integrate the programs and make sure they’re working. Community partner Lindsey Disney, clinical supervisor with Positive Growth Inc., says they plan to pair mindfulness-based CBT with culturally familiar activities.

“We focus on creating meaningful connections and supporting well-being in ways that resonate with the community,” Disney says. “This way, people can connect socially while also strengthening community bonds through shared traditions.”

Temple Moore, another key partner who leads the Refugee Women’s Network, says she sees the importance of using a mental health approach that is culturally sensitive.

“Through collective experiences that dignify the individual while promoting connection, we will see positive connections to trauma healing and combat social isolation,” Moore says. “The idea of play, learning and joy are universal. We must give refugees the opportunity to leave their stressful circumstances and burdened mindsets and find joy and play.”

School of Public Health Dean Rodney Lyn is one of the lead investigators on the project. He says the funding to support the work of the Prevention Research Center reflects the solid partnerships it’s developed with the community.

“During our school’s strategic planning process, we identified our location in the heart of Atlanta as a key differentiator that creates unsurpassed opportunities for partnerships with nearby agencies, organizations and communities,” Lyn says. “The success of the faculty and staff of the PRC in attracting funding from the CDC, as well as private foundations and state agencies, underscores the kind of opportunities that are possible when faculty at a major research university work with community partners.”

As the researchers work to develop the programs and bring together participants, their hope is to identify some of the overarching problems leading to this health crisis and find solutions that can work for people across the U.S.

“With this work, we see there’s a lot of need, and there is a lot of optimism,” Eriksen says. “We are looking forward to leveraging these vital community organizations to help bring people together and make them feel less isolated and more connected.”