Multimorbidity, Loneliness, and Social Isolation. A Systematic Review

Abstract

No systematic review has appeared so far synthesizing the evidence regarding multimorbidity and loneliness, social isolation, or social frailty. Consequently, our aim was to fill this gap. Three electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL) were searched in our study. Observational studies examining the link between multimorbidity and loneliness, social isolation, and social frailty were included, whereas disease-specific samples were excluded. Data extraction included methods, characteristics of the sample, and the main results. A quality assessment was conducted. Two reviewers performed the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. In sum, eight studies were included in the final synthesis. Some cross-sectional and longitudinal studies point to an association between multimorbidity and increased levels of loneliness. However, the associations between multimorbidity and social isolation as well as social frailty remain largely underexplored. The quality of the studies included was rather high. In conclusion, most of the included studies showed a link between multimorbidity and increased loneliness. However, there is a lack of studies examining the association between multimorbidity and social isolation as well as social frailty. Future studies are required to shed light on these important associations. This is particularly important in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lack of Social Support and Its Role on Self-Perceived Health in a Representative Sample of Spanish Adults. Another Aspect of Gender Inequality

“…Among them, social support seems to have an effect on health [ 42 ]. In fact, the lack of relationships or social bonds was associated with physical or mental disorders [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Furthermore, social isolation, especially among the elderly, leads to lower health care utilisation, which produces poorer health status [ 48 ].…”

COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review

“…The growing concerns pertaining to increases in loneliness in the community prior to COVID-19 are related to the fact that loneliness is known to be associated with increased mortality and reduced quality of life (Groarke et al, 2020;Hajek et al, 2020). Research has indicated that loneliness contributes to both physical and mental health conditions as well as being associated with decreases in cognitive functioning (Groarke et al, 2020;Hajek et al, 2020;Jeste et al, 2020). Furthermore, the impact of loneliness on an individual's health has been equated with the impact of other factors that are well known to be detrimental to health, such as smoking, obesity and a lack of physical activity (Fakoya et al, 2020).…”

Reflexos da (in)capacidade de estar só em tempos de isolamento social na pandemia COVID-19

“…Os indivíduos estão cada vez mais conectados digitalmente, mas a prevalência da solidão também parece estar aumentando. É muito comum encontrarmos nos meios de comunicação a temática da solidão [20][21][22][23][24] .…”