Prevalence and determinants of social isolation among elderly in an urban slum of Raipur city—A community based cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Background: Social isolation is a predictor of mortality and morbidity, as well as an outcome of many health-related predictors. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of social isolation among the elderly and to study factors associated with it. Methods:This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Urban Field Practice Area of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Chhattisgarh, India among elderly more than or equal to 60 years of age selected using random sampling. The data was collected in a sample of 400 elderly by face-to-face interview using predesigned, pretested, and semi-structured proforma that included Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6) and analyzed using Stata v16. Results: The prevalence of social isolation was 34.3%; highest among those 65-74 years of age (44.5%) and females (56.9%). Increasing age, elderly with less than three family members, lower socio-economic status, no children and financial dependence among socio-demographic factors; insufficient time with children, lack of emotionally attachment and conflict in the family among family support factors; lack of social participation, poor perception of health and feeling lonely among psychosocial factors; lack of physical exercise, spiritual activity and sound sleep among lifestyle factors; and presence of active complaints, raised blood pressure and being anemic among medical factors were significantly associated with social isolation. Overall, the independent predictors of social isolation in elderly were age ≥75 years, lack of participation in social functions, feeling lonely and lack of sound sleep. Conclusion:The prevalence of social isolation among elderly from an urban slum in India was high and the existing evidence show a rising trend. Social isolation assessment and use of LSNS-6 by healthcare providers should be incorporated into elderly care at primary healthcare delivery points across the country.

Association of living condition using urbanisation level and neighbourhood deprivation with loneliness and social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of the nationwide data in Japan

“…Poor perception of health is also well-known associated factor of social isolation 63 because of less social participations. Although the working population and middle-aged people showed high isolation, this may be because the measurement scale does not include items about contact with colleagues (ie, work-related connections).…”

Identifying the Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on Psychological Well-being among the Elderly in India: The Mediating Role of Gender, Marital Status, and Education

“…According to the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Government of India, 2021, approximately 13 percent of the population in India will comprise adults aged 60 years or above [14]. The prevalence of social isolation among elderly in India is almost 34 percent, and research evidence cites a rising trend of this phenomenon [15]. Further, prevalence of loneliness among Indian older adults is also alarming with almost 55.4 percent of older adults experiencing loneliness [16].…”

Identifying the impact of social isolation and loneliness on psychological well-being among the elderly in old-age homes of India: the mediating role of gender, marital status, and education

“…According to the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Government of India, 2021, approximately 13% of the population in India will comprise adults aged 60 years or above [14]. The prevalence of social isolation among elderly in India is almost 34%, and research evidence cites a rising trend of this phenomenon [15]. Further, prevalence of loneliness among Indian older adults is also alarming with almost 55.4% of older adults experiencing loneliness [16].…”