Online support groups and unwanted loneliness: Conditions of feasibility and limitations from a professional perspective

Abstract

The increase in unwanted loneliness and the growing fragility of contemporary care systems are prompting the search for support formats capable of ensuring continuity and accessibility within a context of expanding digitalization. This article presents an exploratory qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with eight social work and psychology professionals from different socio-health and community settings. The study aims to analyze the conditions of feasibility, limitations, and relational potential of online group interventions as an emotional support device. Discourse analysis identifies three main axes. First, unwanted loneliness is conceptualized as a subjective experience linked to relational fragility and discontinuity of support. Second, professional accompaniment emerges as a practice of emotional containment shaped by structural constraints. Third, online support groups are valued as a complementary resource that could enhance relational continuity and reduce access barriers —particularly in situations involving illness, limited mobility, rural contexts, or caregiving overload— provided that stable professional mediation, adequate technological support, and careful group design are ensured. The findings suggest the relevance of hybrid models integrating face-to-face and virtual modalities, as well as the need to understand technological mediation as a central ethical, relational, and organizational dimension in contemporary group intervention.