Abstract Background and Objectives Volunteering is recommended to promote healthy aging in older adults. This review investigated the benefits and harms of older adult volunteering on a range of health outcomes. Research Design and Methods A systematic search of four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, AgeLine, PsycInfo) was conducted. Data were extracted and categorised according to health outcome. This review was registered on PROSPERO crd. york. ac. uk/prospero/displayᵣecord. php? RecordID=456281. Results The search yielded 182 papers related to a wide range of health benefits and harms. RCTs were assessed for risk of bias using CASP checklists. There were 11 RCT papers from 5 trials. Included RCTs had a high risk of bias. Benefits and harms were categorized into biological, psychological, social and biopsychosocial intersect domains. Papers largely reported on multiple health benefits of volunteering. There were negligible reports of harms compared to benefits. Discussion and Implications Volunteering is seemingly beneficial to older adults, though more evidence from experimental studies is needed to clarify discrepancies and substantiate current recommendations. Harms may be underreported. Further clarity may allow for more older adults to participate in volunteering, while maximising health benefits and avoiding harms. Additionally, further research could inform governments and volunteer organisations on how to implement and advertise programs appropriately.
Williams et al. (Fri,) studied this question.