Health benefits and harms of older adult volunteering: mixed methods systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review incorporating randomized controlled trials (11 papers from 5 trials) alongside other study designs.
PubMed 41950400 · doi:10.1093/geront/gnag043
What was done
A systematic search was conducted across four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, AgeLine, PsycINFO) to evaluate the health benefits and harms of older adult volunteering across biological, psychological, social, and biopsychosocial intersect domains. The review was registered on PROSPERO, and randomized controlled trials were assessed for risk of bias using CASP checklists.
What was found
The search yielded 182 papers. There were 11 RCT papers derived from five trials, and all included RCTs were judged to have a high risk of bias. Papers largely reported multiple health benefits across the categorized domains, with negligible reports of harms compared to benefits. The abstract reports no numerical outcome statistics or effect sizes.
Why it matters
Volunteering is widely promoted for healthy aging. This review shows that while reported benefits span multiple health domains, rigorous experimental support is scarce, carries high risk of bias, and lacks adequate documentation of potential harms.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, pooled estimates, or specific outcome measures. Randomized evidence is limited to five trials with high risk of bias, and harms appear under-reported in the existing literature.
Cited by
- supports Older adults who engage in volunteering and generative activities experience significant well-being benefits, including feelings of connection and usefulness.