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Office of Research & Development |
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Image: ©iStock/ Ekaitz Landa(07/17/2025) VA researchers with the Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare (CINCCH) learned volunteers with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) who wrote caring letters to those with the same condition reported less loneliness by the end of a six-month program. The positive effects of receiving caring letters are well-documented, but this novel study found those who wrote the letters also benefited from the experience. The 28 volunteers received training in writing caring letters and then wrote one letter a month for six months. They showed significant reductions in loneliness after the program, as well as reporting positive experiences of serving others and time to reflect on their circumstances related to SCI/D. The findings suggest peer-based acts of kindness may be helpful for both parties to reduce loneliness. (The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Jul. 11, 2025)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420
Updated/Reviewed: 2025-04-28
