A social prescribing pilot project integrating community-based music storytelling and digital education effectively reduced depression and increased social support and life satisfaction among rural older adults in South Korea, though cognitive function improvement was not statistically significant.
The social prescribing intervention significantly reduced depression compared to the control group.
The intervention significantly increased social support among participants in the experimental group compared to the control group.
Life satisfaction significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group following the intervention.
Cognitive function showed slight improvement after the intervention, but the change was not statistically significant.
There was no statistically significant direct effect found between loneliness and cognitive function or between loneliness and social support.
Social support functioned as a key mediating factor between the intervention and outcomes including cognitive function, life satisfaction, and depression.
The study design was a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest study with 294 older adult participants in rural South Korea.
This research suggests that a structured 8-week community program combining music storytelling rooted in local Korean culture with digital literacy education can meaningfully improve the mental health of older adults living in rural South Korea. Among nearly 300 participants aged 65 and older, those who took part in the program reported less depression, greater social support, and higher life satisfaction compared to a control group that did not participate. The program was delivered as a form of 'social prescribing,' which means connecting people to non-medical community resources rather than relying solely on clinical care. One particularly important finding is that social support appeared to be the key mechanism linking the program to better outcomes — when people felt more socially connected, they also felt less depressed and more satisfied with life, and showed some improvement in cognitive function. Interestingly, cognitive function improved slightly but not enough to be statistically definitive, suggesting that longer or more intensive programs may be needed to produce measurable cognitive gains. The study also found that loneliness did not directly drive changes in social support or cognitive function in the way researchers might have expected. This research matters because rural older adults often face compounded disadvantages — geographic isolation, limited access to healthcare, and fewer social opportunities — that put them at higher risk for depression and cognitive decline. The findings suggest that culturally tailored, community-based programs that explicitly build social connections could be a practical and scalable way to address these mental health disparities without relying entirely on formal medical systems. Policymakers and community health planners may find this model useful when designing aging and mental health strategies for underserved rural populations.
Zhao B, Lim J, Lim S, Yoon H, Kim H, Hong S, et al.. (2026). Integrating Community and Digital Support Through Social Prescribing to Improve Mental Health in Rural Older Adults in South Korea: Quasi-Experimental Study.. JMIR aging. https://doi.org/10.2196/76201