Correlates of emotional and social loneliness among community dwelling older adults in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Wolfers, Mireille E G; Stam, B.; Machielse, Anja

doi:10.1080/13607863.2021.1875191

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Both in clinical and research settings, greater attention should be given to the assessment of the psychosocial health of persons diagnosed with MCI. Second, a recent study supports the need for different types of interventions to address emotional and social loneliness (Wolfers et al, 2021). For example, interventions to reduce emotional loneliness could target depressive symptoms and maladaptive social cognition (Gardiner et al, 2018), whereas interventions to reduce social loneliness for those with CIND and dementia could focus on providing opportunities for formal social engagement (Amano et al, 2020) to prevent the experience of social loneliness.…”

Section: Clinical and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although most work is based on the unidimensional measure of loneliness, there is evidence that these two domains may have different correlates (Liu & Rook, 2013;van Baarsen et al, 2001). For example, emotional loneliness is associated with physical limitations, depression, and low income (Dahlberg & McKee, 2014;Peerenboom et al, 2015), whereas social loneliness is associated with being male, having less contact with family and friends, and low community integration (Dahlberg & McKee, 2014;Wolfers et al, 2021). Examining the role of cognitive impairment for emotional and social loneliness can be valuable in understanding the etiology of loneliness and in designing targeted interventions (Schnittger et al, 2012).…”

Section: Emotional and Social Lonelinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cognitive Impairment and the Trajectory of Loneliness in Older Adulthood: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

et al. 2021

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Objective: To examine whether the trajectory of facets of loneliness—emotional and social—varied by cognitive impairment status in older adulthood. Methods: Data came from the Health and Retirement Study 2008–2018 waves ( N = 15,352). Cognitive impairment was assessed using standard cutoffs for cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) and dementia. The 11-item UCLA loneliness scale was used to measure emotional and social loneliness. Results: Using multilevel modeling, we found that CIND and dementia status were associated with higher overall, emotional, and social loneliness, controlling for physical health, social contact, and depressive symptoms. The trajectory of loneliness did not vary by cognitive status. There were modest variations by sociodemographic factors. Discussion: Persons with CIND and dementia experience heightened emotional and social loneliness, but cognitive impairment does not contribute to the worsening of loneliness. Older adults' social integration may be maintained early in cognitive impairment.

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Section: Clinical and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Emotional and Social Lonelinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Impairment and the Trajectory of Loneliness in Older Adulthood: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

et al. 2021

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“…Loneliness in the older adults has been reported to be associated with demographic variables (e.g., gender, low socioeconomic status, and education) and health-related variables (e.g., functional status, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms) [ 8 , 9 ]. Education is known to play a protective role in loneliness [ 8 , 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Poverty or financial strain decreases psychological well-being and leads to a higher risk of developing loneliness [ 4 , 8 ]. Functional disability and poor self-rated health, which impede social engagement and lead to loneliness, also increase with age and tend to be more common for women than men [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Many studies have shown that the prevalence of loneliness is higher in older women compared with older men [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in Correlates of Loneliness among Community-Dwelling Older Koreans

Kim

Lee

2022

IJERPH

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Background: Despite a relatively large number of studies exploring late-life loneliness, few studies have compared gender differences in the correlates of loneliness of older adults. Thus, we examined the gender differences in correlates of loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data from a parent study conducted among community-dwelling Koreans 65 years of age or older. Loneliness was measured by the 20-item Revised University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. As potential correlates, demographic, health-related, and social variables were included. Multivariate hierarchical regression analyses were performed separately by gender. Results: Men were more likely to be lonely than women, after controlling for demographic, health-related, and social variables. A social network of family ties and being married were found to be inversely correlated with loneliness in men but not in women. A social network of friendship ties and participation in a variety of community activities were inversely correlated with loneliness in both men and women. Conclusions: A social network of family ties and being married may help reduce late-life loneliness, particularly among men. This study highlights the importance of considering gender differences in the design of strategies for preventing and alleviating late-life loneliness.

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“…Loneliness refers to perceived isolation or the sense of lacking companionship, and the negative feelings that can arise from not having a companion or emotional support, or a perceived lack of wider social networks (3)(4)(5). The experience of loneliness has been associated with reduced opportunities for companionship, with older adults experiencing consequential social and emotional loneliness (6). Higher rates of depression, self-harm, self-neglecting behavior and mortality, as well as predictions of functional decline and death, have been associated with perceived loneliness (4,(7)(8)(9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing Loneliness Among Aging Adults: The Roles of Personal Voice Assistants and Anthropomorphic Interactions

Jones

Hanus

Yan

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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The perception of feeling lonely is an influential factor in determining quality of life among aging adults. As the US Census Bureau projects that the number of Americans ages 65 and older will double by 2060, reducing loneliness is imperative. Personal voice assistants (PVAs) such as Amazon's Echo offer the ease-of-use of voice control with a friendly, helpful artificial intelligence. This study aimed to understand the influence of a PVA on loneliness reduction among adults of advanced ages, i.e., 75+, and explore anthropomorphism as a potential underlying mechanism. Participants (N = 16) ages 75 or older used an Amazon Echo PVA for 8 weeks in an independent living facility in the Midwest. Surveys were used to collect information about perceived loneliness, and PVA interaction data was recorded and analyzed. Participants consistently exceeded the required daily interactions. As hypothesized, after the first 4 weeks of the intervention, aging adults reported significantly lower loneliness (baseline mean = 2.22, SD = 0.42; week 4 mean = 1.99, SD = 0.45, Z = −2.45, and p = 0.01). Four dominant anthropomorphic themes emerged after thematic analysis of the entire 8 weeks' PVA interaction data (Cohen's Kappa = 0.92): (1) greetings (user-initiated, friendly phrases); (2) comments/questions (user-initiated, second-person pronoun), (3) polite interactions (user-initiated, direct-name friendly requests), (4) reaction (user response to Alexa). Relational greetings predicted loneliness reductions in the first 4 weeks and baseline loneliness predicted relational greetings with the PVA during the entire 8 weeks, suggesting that anthropomorphization of PVAs may play a role in mitigating loneliness in aging adults.

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Correlates of emotional and social loneliness among community dwelling older adults in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Cited by 18 publications

References 58 publications

Cognitive Impairment and the Trajectory of Loneliness in Older Adulthood: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Cognitive Impairment and the Trajectory of Loneliness in Older Adulthood: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Gender Differences in Correlates of Loneliness among Community-Dwelling Older Koreans

Reducing Loneliness Among Aging Adults: The Roles of Personal Voice Assistants and Anthropomorphic Interactions

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