Remote volunteering via smartphone to address patients' loneliness and social isolation and volunteers stigma
Audience: Public Format: HybridDr Mariana Pinto da Costa, KCL, presents in the Department of Psychiatry Seminars
Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 9.30am to 10.30am
People with psychosis often present social withdrawal and isolation, critical risk factors for poor physical and mental health, preventing engagement with treatment and impeding recovery. Research shows that people with psychosis frequently face stigma and discrimination from the general public, highlighting social contacts as the best way to reduce stigma. In mental health care, volunteers willingly donate their free time, unpaid, to provide company for patients. With remote volunteering potentially a large number of volunteers could provide support, but research evidence is needed.
Objectives: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of remote volunteer support for people with psychosis to reduce patients' social isolation and stigma among volunteers.
Methods: A feasibility trial was conducted with patients with psychosis and volunteers to elicit their views and experiences of communicating with their match over the smart-phone (through texts, WhatsApp messages, e-mails, audio, or video calls). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis.
Results: Thirty four participants were matched and completed the follow-up assessment. Many adhered to the advised communication frequency of at least once/week. Most used audio calls or messaged; some opted for video calls and only one pair used e-mails. Communication topics included personal background, daily routines and shared interests. Some participants shared more personal information, others kept conversations superficial.
Conclusion: Both patients and volunteers enjoyed communication with their match and were pleased with the relationships formed. This suggests remote volunteer support could be a feasible and acceptable method to reduce patient's loneliness and social isolation and decrease stigma among volunteers.
https://zoom.us/[…]/94572787318?pwd=yQZc0eWXLehppqdtcdhbak2QTPy4V0.1
Meeting ID: 945 7278 7318
Passcode: 751629
Speaker(s): Dr Mariana Pinto da Costa (King's College London)
Series: Psychiatry Seminar Series
Venue:
Department of Psychiatry - Seminar Room
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Seminar Room Department of Psychiatry Headington Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 7JX United Kingdom
Department: Psychiatry (Department)
Organiser: Professor Andrea Cipriani
Host: Dr Louise Johns
More info:
Dr Mariana Pinto da Costa is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and a Consultant Psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She is an invited Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar at the University of Porto.
She is the Culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. She is a member of the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit - London Regional Advisory Committee and a member of the NIHR National Health Inequalities Cross-Cutting Group, within the Multiple Long-Term Conditions Cross-NIHR Collaboration,. She has been awarded a NIHR Advanced Fellowship to investigate the efficacy of remote volunteering to reduce loneliness in people with psychosis.
Internationally, she is the Chair of the Education in Psychiatry Section at the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) where she has been awarded an Honorary Membership. She was nominated by Columbia University as one of the Top 100 Innovative Women Leaders in Global Mental Health. At the European Psychiatric Association, she is the Chair of the Section of Public Mental Health and member of the Committee on Ethics. She is the Academic Lead of the Digital Psychiatry Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and a member of the Editorial board of the British Journal of Psychiatry and BJSPych Advances.
Dr Pinto da Costa has published over 200 articles (h-index: 28), including methodology and guidance papers. She supervises PhD and MSc students at King's College London and at the University of Porto.