Ethnocultural disparities in loneliness among women in Israel: A population-based study.

Abstract

Loneliness was predicted for women in three ethnocultural groups in Israel: native Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants. The study was based on Lund et al. 's (2018) conceptualization of social determinant domains of mental health disorders, as in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Social determinants were demographic, economic, social-cultural, and neighborhood factors. We examined whether ethnocultural disparities in loneliness persist when controlling for social determinants in these four domains or whether ethnic disparities are related to other forms of inequality among the three study groups, as reflected in these four domains. Next, we explored associations between the co-occurrence of key social determinants with loneliness. We used cross-sectional representative data of working-age women from the Israeli Social Survey (N = 5,600). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated a higher risk for loneliness among FSU immigrants and Israeli Arabs than among native Jews. Economic risk factors significantly increased the risk of loneliness. Social and cultural factors decreased the risk of loneliness, while discrimination increased it. Improved neighborhood conditions decreased the risk of loneliness. Ethnocultural disparities in loneliness diminished when economic determinants were controlled. Co-occurrence of risk factors greatly increased the risk for loneliness, demonstrating a stepped relationship. Developing supportive networks for women, mainly from minority groups, to increase trust and fight discrimination against any background is necessary. Moreover, significant efforts must be made to combat poverty and narrow socioeconomic inequalities. Public Policy Relevance StatementRather than ethnicity itself, the disparities observed in the economic conditions of women across the three ethnocultural groups-such as poverty, material deprivation, and compromised health-appear to underlie the differences in the risk for loneliness. Consequently, it is imperative to prioritize substantial initiatives aimed at addressing poverty and minimizing socioeconomic inequalities between minority and majority cohorts. L oneliness is defined as an unpleasant subjective feeling stemming from a perceived lack of connectedness with others. It can be caused by either a deficit in or a gap between an individual's actual and expected number of social interactions and relations, or from dissatisfaction with the quality of social connections (Courtin & Knapp, 2017; Yang & Victor, 2011). Loneliness has been linked to diminished physical and mental health and low quality of life at all ages (Achdut & Refaeli, 2020; Park et al., 2019; Wickramaratne et al., 2022). Recent studies have demonstrated its high prevalence in many Western countries (e.g., d'Hombres et al., 2021; Surkalim et al., 2022), with rising awareness of the various demographic, economic, social, and environmental determinants leading to inequality in loneliness (Samuels, 2019; Wu et al., 2022). This study is based on the ...