Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39158741›Full record

Trial reportSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2025

The KIND Challenge community intervention to reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood relationships: an international randomized controlled trial.

Michelle H Lim, Alexandra Hennessey, Pamela Qualter, Ben J Smith, Lily Thurston, Robert Eres, Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04398472 (Evaluation of the Nextdoor KIND Challenge), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04398472 nacompletednot on this map

Evaluation of the Nextdoor KIND Challenge

TypeinterventionalSponsorSwinburne University of TechnologyRan2020 to 2021Enrolled4,500ConditionsLoneliness, Social IsolationArmsKIND Challenge
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Michelle H LimPrevention Research Collaboration, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia. michelle.h.lim@sydney.edu.au.
Alexandra HennesseyManchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Pamela QualterManchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Ben J SmithPrevention Research Collaboration, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
Lily ThurstonIverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia.
Robert EresIverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia.
Julianne Holt-LunstadIverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLoneliness and social isolation are risk factors for poor health, but few effective interventions are deployable at scale. This study was conducted to determine whether acts of kindness can reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood social cohesion.

methodThree randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted in the USA, UK, and Australia, involving a total of 4284 individuals aged 18-90 years old, randomized to the KIND challenge intervention or a waitlist control group. Participants allocated to the intervention were asked to do at least one act of kindness per week within a four-week period. The primary outcome was loneliness and secondary outcomes included measures of social isolation, mental health, and neighbourhood social cohesion.

resultsThere was a significant, albeit small, intervention effect after four weeks for reduced loneliness in the USA and the UK, but not for Australia. Relative to controls, KIND challenge participants also showed significantly reduced social isolation and social anxiety in the USA, and reduced stress in Australia. There was also reduced neighbourhood conflict in the USA, increased number of neighbourhood contacts in the USA and Australia, greater neighbourhood stability and feelings of neighbourhood importance in the UK, and better neighbourhood social relationships in Australia.

conclusionPromoting the provision of social support through small acts of kindness to neighbours has the potential to reduce loneliness, social isolation and social anxiety, and promote neighbourhood relationships, suggesting a potential strategy for public health campaigns.

trial registrationClinical Trials Registry. NCT04398472. Registered 21

Indexed as

LonelinessMental HealthNeighborhood CharacteristicsResidence CharacteristicsSocial IsolationAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAustraliaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSocial SupportUnited KingdomCommunity interventionsLonelinessMental healthNeighbourhood relationshipsRandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID39158741
PMCPMC12031860

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.