Weekly Family Video Calls Ease Depression in Nursing Home Residents, Study Finds

A weekly video call with family may do far more for an older adult living in a nursing home than previously assumed. Researchers in Tabriz, Iran, report that a simple two-month program of scheduled video communication with family members was associated with significantly fewer depressive symptoms and a markedly stronger sense of social support among nursing home residents. The findings, published in BMC Geriatrics, add to a growing body of evidence that digital connection is not merely a convenience for older adults but a potentially meaningful clinical tool in the fight against late-life depression.

The study, led by Hamed Nouri of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences together with colleagues from Shahid Beheshti and Gonabad Universities of Medical Sciences, set out to address one of the most persistent problems in institutional elder care. Older adults frequently move into nursing homes because of physical frailty, cognitive decline, or the absence of caregivers able to support them at home. Whatever the reason, the transition almost always involves a degree of separation from the family network that once structured daily life. That severing of ties, the researchers note, can quietly erode mental health, feeding loneliness, hopelessness, and the slow accumulation of depressive symptoms that often go undetected in busy institutional settings.

To test whether routine video calls could counteract this process, the team designed a quasi-experimental study conducted in 2022 across nursing homes in Tabriz, a major city in northwestern Iran. Using cluster sampling, they enrolled 61 older adults and randomly assigned them to two groups. Twenty-nine participants in the intervention group received weekly video calls with their family members for two months, delivered alongside the normal schedule of in-person visits. The remaining 32 participants in the control group continued with routine visits only, receiving no structured video communication. The design allowed the researchers to isolate the specific contribution of the video-call program from the baseline care environment that all residents shared.

The outcome measures were two of the most widely used instruments in geriatric research. Depression was assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale, a validated screening tool designed specifically for older populations and, in its shortened 15-item form, efficient enough for repeated administration in clinical settings. Perceived social support was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, or MSPSS, which captures how supported individuals feel across distinct domains, including family, friends, and significant others. Both instruments were administered at baseline and again after the two-month intervention period, and the data were analyzed in SPSS version 26 with statistical significance set at a p value below 0.05.

The results were striking in both magnitude and consistency. After two months, the mean depression score in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the control group, with an effect size of 0.87 and a p value of 0.001. In behavioral research, an effect size approaching 0.9 is considered large, suggesting that the video-call intervention produced a substantial difference rather than a marginal statistical blip. In practical terms, residents who spoke with their families on a screen each week reported meaningfully fewer depressive symptoms than those who relied on routine contact alone.

The intervention also reshaped how supported the residents felt. Perceived social support scores rose significantly in the video-call group relative to controls, with an effect size of 0.67 and a p value of 0.01. This is a moderate-to-large effect, and it points to a plausible psychological mechanism underlying the improvement in mood. Perceived social support, the subjective sense of being cared for and connected to others, is one of the best-established protective factors against depression across the lifespan. By giving residents a reliable, recurring channel of family contact, the intervention appears to have strengthened that psychological buffer, and the mood benefits followed.

The technical simplicity of the intervention is part of its appeal. Unlike complex telemedicine platforms that require specialized equipment, training, and ongoing technical support, the program relied on ordinary video calls, delivered weekly, with the residents’ own family members. The effect was measured over a short period of just two months, meaning the benefits emerged quickly. For nursing home administrators, this suggests that a video-communication program could be introduced with minimal infrastructure and at low cost, layered onto existing visiting arrangements rather than replacing them. The study’s authors conclude that video communication can be used in nursing homes to enhance the short-term well-being of residents.

As with any study, the design carries limitations worth keeping in view. The trial was quasi-experimental rather than a fully randomized controlled trial, which is why the authors report it was not registered in a clinical trials registry. Although participants were randomly assigned to the two groups, cluster sampling within nursing homes introduces the possibility of site-level differences that a larger, multi-center randomized design would better control. The sample of 61 participants is modest, and the two-month follow-up captures short-term effects only; whether the mood benefits persist, accumulate, or fade once the calls stop remains an open question. The findings were also drawn from a specific cultural context in Iran, where family ties and visiting norms may shape both the feasibility and the emotional weight of video contact, so replication in other settings will be important.

The ethical framework of the study was carefully documented. The research received approval from the Ethics Committee of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences under ethics code IR.GMU.REC.1401.039, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants, who were fully informed about the study’s objectives and the research team before taking part. The researchers also completed the necessary permissions and coordination with the directors and management of the nursing homes involved. The work received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors, and the authors declare no competing interests.

For a rapidly aging world population, the implications extend well beyond Tabriz. Depression in later life is associated with worse physical health outcomes, higher rates of institutionalization, elevated health care costs, and increased mortality, yet it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in care facilities. Interventions that are cheap, scalable, and acceptable to older adults are urgently needed. This study suggests that the humble video call, already woven into the daily lives of younger generations, may be one of the most accessible tools available. As families disperse across cities, countries, and continents, scheduled screens may become a standard prescription of modern elder care, bridging the distance that separates aging parents from the children and grandchildren who love them.

Subject of Research: Effect of family video calls on depression and perceived social support in nursing home residents

Article Title: Impact of family video calls on depression and perceived social support among older adults residing in nursing home residents in Tabriz

Article References: Nouri, H., Rajaee, M., BasiriMoghadam, M., & Sadeghmoghadam, L. (2026). Impact of family video calls on depression and perceived social support among older adults residing in nursing home residents in Tabriz. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-08282-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12877-026-08282-0

Keywords: nursing homes, older adults, depression, social support, video calls, telemedicine, geriatrics, mental health, family communication, Iran, Impact, family