The purpose of this evidence brief is to examine features of social health.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to examine the rationale for public health guidelines for social connection.

The purpose of this brief is to explain how loneliness contributes to higher rates of morbidity and mortality.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the facilitators and barriers to social health and wellbeing.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review the literature examining individual differences in social behavior and needs. I

The purpose of this evidence brief is to describe the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the relationship between loneliness and society.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to provide insight into whether population-level health promotion strategies might help address loneliness and social isolation.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review individual-level interventions to mitigate loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review the effects of major life events on social well-being.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the relationship between “the self” and loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to present knowledge about the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review how social cognition influences social health, particularly in the context of wellbeing and social functioning.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review the impact of digital technologies on our mental and social health.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to characterize individualism and collectivism and explore evidence related to their influence on our social lives.

The purpose of this brief is to examine the optimal number of close friends a person should have.

The purpose of this brief is to examine how much social time individuals should get to avoid loneliness.

The purpose of this brief is to synthesize research on our “alone-time.”

The purpose of this brief is to synthesize empirical evidence related to the importance of social interactions with strangers.

The purpose of this brief is to explore the health and well-being benefits of volunteering, as well as the conditions under which volunteering fosters health and well-being.

The purpose of this brief is to explore the benefits of and barriers to prosocial behaviour.

The purpose of this brief is to explore whether the value of social time differs based on who you are socializing with.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to summarize existing research describing the role of employment, working conditions, and workplace relationships in shaping our social health.

The purpose of this brief is to review key strategies for developing close relationships.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to examine the effect of relationship status on social health and wellness.

The purpose of this brief is to examine whether living alone is, in fact, associated with poorer health and/or lower levels of subjective wellbeing.

The purpose of this brief is to examine the literature on the ideal size of interaction groups.

The purpose of this evidence brief is study the social benefits of companion animals.

The purpose of this brief is to examine the benefits of new and emerging social relationships.

The purpose of this brief is to review what is known about the benefits of reviving old connections.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to examine the impact of socializing with others who are similar or different from ourselves.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore how genders differ with respect to their social behavior.

This review explores loneliness among post-secondary students.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the sources of and mechanisms contributing to social health inequality.

The purpose of this brief is to identify potential strategies to improve social inclusion for racialized people in Canada.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to understand how to promote inclusion of people living with disabilities.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore evidence exploring strategies to enhance social inclusion among newcomers. I

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review existing evidence related to the social health and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ people.

This rapid cross-jurisdictional scan aims to characterize the national anti-loneliness strategies.

This report reviews types of loneliness, with a focus on introducing existential isolation as a distinct, but salient type of loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to examine how individuals' experiences of loneliness and social connectedness change with age.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review the existing evidence related to social eating.

The purpose of this brief is to explore the utility of social prescribing in promoting social health.

The purpose of this evidence review is to explore the effects of social geography and the built environment on social health.

The purpose of this brief is to examine the role of encampments in providing interpersonal connection and a sense of community for people who are unhoused.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the so called “dark side” of social relationships and how these social challenges can be effectively navigated .

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review potential pharmaceutical approaches to address loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the causal pathways linking social environment to substance use patterns and related outcomes.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore what Indigenous knowledges, wisdoms, and experiences teach us about the contemporary challenge of loneliness.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to review the interaction between social disconnection and economic factors.

The purpose of this evidence brief is to explore the relationship between early life experiences and social health.

This report explores what is needed to effectively integrate social prescribing into mainstream healthcare by exploring the barriers to social prescribing uptake and implementation and identifying the resources needed to overcome these barriers. In doing so, we show that training, resources, and standardized systems will help improve the scale and spread of social prescribing. We also highlight that inter-institutional collaborations are needed to provide these resources.

The report examines the potential long-term impacts of face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic on children's social, emotional, and communication development. It explores how masks may have affected children’s ability to recognize emotions, develop language skills, and build social connections.

This report explores the significant impact of the gut microbiome on our social and emotional well-being. It highlights how the diverse communities of gut bacteria influence emotions, relationships, and mental health through their connection with the brain. By examining current research, the review underscores the potential of microbiome-focused strategies, such as probiotics and dietary changes, to enhance emotional resilience and strengthen social bonds.

Recognizing the challenges posed in the recruitment and retention of volunteers, this report aims to identify strategies that could enhance these processes. In doing so, we engage with the volunteer perspective – acknowledging, of course, that there are a variety of challenges and difficulties that may not be optimally represented from this vantage point. Nevertheless, we believe that the perspectives of volunteers provide key insights into how programs can best engage future volunteers in meaningful work.

This project aims to understand the motivations and barriers Canadians face regarding volunteering. We analyzed data from the 2021 and 2022 waves of the Canadian Social Connection Survey (CSCS) and conducted six focus groups with a subset of survey respondents. Results explore types of volunteer work undertaken, motivations for volunteering barriers to participation, trajectories for different volunteer activities, and ey sociodemographic factor shaping patterns of volunteer participation.

This report on a patient-oriented research project in Canada reveals that older adults have diverse social prescribing needs and attitudes, varying by demographics like age, gender, and income. It underscores widespread health and social needs, barriers to healthcare, and positive perceptions of holistic care through social prescribing, while highlighting inequities faced by marginalized and disadvantaged individuals, offering preliminary insights for implementing social prescribing programs.

This report presents the perspectives gathered from the Social Prescribing Community of Practice located on Vancouver Island. The aim in presenting these perspectives is to assist with the effective implementation and evaluation of social prescribing in our health region and beyond.

The study highlights that during the COVID-19 pandemic, social disconnection disproportionately impacts the subjective happiness of extroverted individuals, emphasizing the universal need for social connection across the introversion-extraversion spectrum.

This study examined whether compliance to COVID-19 prevention behaviour was associated with two key dimensions of loneliness: (1) social loneliness (e.g., feeling disconnected from a broader social network) and (2) emotional loneliness (e.g., missing an intimate relationship).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a Canadian study found that workers in hybrid settings reported better mental health compared to those exclusively working from home or in-person, with vaccine status having minimal impact on this association.

This Canadian study during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights that factors like emotional loneliness, insufficient sleep, and financial security significantly contribute to worker burnout, suggesting the need for holistic approaches addressing both workplace and personal well-being.

This systematic review identifies four key factors contributing to the success of digital mental health interventions for older adults: ease of use, social interaction opportunities, human support, and tailored interventions, along with methodological considerations for future research in this area.

This report provides recommendations and implementation strategies for improving mental health equity in in British Columbia. These recommendations were developed by The BC Alliance for Monitoring Mental Health Equity (BC AMMHE), which is a coalition of researchers who came together in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to promote mental health equity

This study reveals that while personal wherewithal, a neoliberal belief, is linked to better individual health and social well-being, anti-government attitudes within neoliberalism correlate with reduced life satisfaction and social well-being, highlighting the complex effects of neoliberal beliefs on individual and collective health.

This study from British Columbia, Canada, identifies three levels of social isolation among people living with HIV, revealing that experiences of violence and mental health diagnoses are associated with greater social isolation, while women, Indigenous individuals, and those identifying as gay or lesbian are less likely to experience it, emphasizing the need for community support to foster connectedness.

This study from British Columbia, Canada, finds that social disconnection significantly contributes to climate change anxiety, an effect mediated by generalized psychological distress, suggesting the importance of supportive social networks in mitigating these mental health challenges.

This report from the 2021 Canadian Social Connection Survey outlines the prevalent and multifaceted nature of burnout among Canadians post-COVID-19, emphasizing the need for supportive workplace environments, work-life balance, and financial stability to mitigate its impact on health and well-being.

This study shows that cultural orientations like collectivism and individualism, along with personality traits such as agreeableness, significantly influence COVID-19 prevention behaviors, highlighting their importance in tailoring health promotion messages.

This study finds a significant association between loneliness and poor self-rated physical health among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), with depressive symptoms partially mediating this relationship, highlighting the need for integrated social, mental, and physical health interventions for gbMSM.

This study in British Columbia, Canada, reveals a negative correlation between the perception of climate change risks and neighborhood satisfaction, highlighting the role of community satisfaction in climate disaster perception and the need for equitable climate policy that considers demographic disparities.

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 social distancing measures on social isolation and loneliness, with a particular focus on people living with HIV (PLHIV).

This study discusses the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on the mental and social health of gay, bisexual, queer, trans, Two-Spirit, and other men who have sex with men (GBQT2+) in Canada.

This study indicates that survivors of adverse childhood experiences showing interest in psilocybin therapy may experience reduced psychological distress, especially those with more severe adversity, suggesting psilocybin's therapeutic potential in this context.

This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the relationship between social connection and suicide risk among newcomers, immigrants, and asylum seekers in core anglosphere countries, underscoring the crucial role of community programs and inclusion initiatives in supporting their mental health and well-being.

The study finds that among Canadians, higher levels of loneliness are associated with lower support for existing socio-economic systems, indicating a link between social isolation and skepticism towards the status quo.

This study on urban gay, bisexual, and sexual minority men reveals that higher communal sexual altruism correlates with safer sex practices and more frequent HIV status discussions, indicating a community-focused motivation for promoting in-group well-being.

The study shows that Canadians are less likely to support public health interventions focused on prevention and targeting marginalized or stigmatized groups, suggesting a need for awareness campaigns to enhance support for these crucial programs.

The study highlights that loneliness and perceived attractiveness among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) are linked to increased HIV acquisition risk, with gay telephone chatlines or online dating platforms partly mediating the impact of loneliness, underscoring the potential of these platforms for mental health support and safer sex practices interventions.

This study on sexual and gender minority men (SGMM) across Canada finds that social marginalization significantly impedes the diffusion of knowledge about the "U=U" HIV principle, indicating a need for targeted efforts to disseminate HIV-related biomedical information among marginalized groups.

The study from Ontario, Canada, demonstrates that the negative impact of HIV stigma on self-rated health is mediated by both internalized stigma and depression, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address these aspects and improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV.

This study from British Columbia, Canada, shows that social isolation is significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality in people living with HIV, underscoring the importance of addressing social isolation to improve health outcomes in this population.

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 social distancing measures on social isolation and loneliness, with a particular focus on people living with HIV (PLHIV).

This report from the 2021 Canadian Social Connection Survey explores social health and well-being in Canada during the late COVID-19 pandemic period, revealing significant loneliness and its dose-response effects on mental and physical health, happiness, life satisfaction, burnout, and self-esteem, highlighting frequent social connections as a key determinant of health and happiness.

This research reviews studies on the impact of online dating on community connectedness among gay and bisexual men, finding mixed evidence with some suggesting online dating leads to lower gay identity and community attachment, while others report increased interpersonal connectedness.

This study on sexually-active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in Metro Vancouver categorizes them into "Socialites" (highly connected), "Traditionalists" (moderately connected, less online activity), and "Techies" (high online, less in-person connectedness), linking these patterns to differences in collectivism, income, HIV risk management, and stigma, thus emphasizing how connectedness patterns relate to GBM's risk behaviors.

This study on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver, Canada, finds that social and situational factors significantly correlate with condomless anal sex (CAS) in online-initiated sexual encounters, emphasizing the need for HIV prevention strategies that address these social contexts.

This study on gay and bisexual men in Vancouver, Canada, reveals that those using online sex-seeking apps/websites tend to be younger, more educated, socially active with other gay men, but less emotionally attached to the gay community, and are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, indicating the need for both internet and community-based interventions to promote safe-sex norms.

This study evaluates the GenWell Social Health Assessment tool, revealing that strong social networks and frequent contact with friends and family are important for social health, with most participants scoring in the "Good" or "Excellent" range, suggesting the tool's potential in quantitatively measuring social health for public health and clinical applications.

The purpose of this report is to provide community-based guidance for lower-risk psilocybin use. It is our hope that this guidance will help individuals considering or currently using psilocybin to have a positive and safe experience.

This report provides an overview of results from the Vancouver Island Sexual Health and Education Needs Survey, which was developed by the (ISHS) Education Team, based on consultations with patients, volunteers, and staff.