Twenty-five Year Trends in Living Alone in the U.S., 1990 and 2015

Wu, Huijing

doi:10.25035/ncfmr/fp-17-18

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…In addition, changes in certain types of social ties and living arrangements may have adversely affected trends in functioning as well, given their importance for emotional and instrumental support. For instance, between 1990 and 2015, the rise in the proportion of adults living alone rose the most for middle-aged adults (Wu 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

Explaining the increasing disability prevalence among mid-life US adults, 2002 to 2016

Zajacova

Montez

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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Several recent studies have documented an alarming upward trend in disability and functional limitations among US adults. In this study, we draw on the sociomedical Disablement Process framework to produce up-to-date estimates of the trends and identify key social and medical precursors of the trends. Using data on US adults aged 45-64 in the 2002-2016 National Health Interview Surveys, we estimate parametric and semiparametric models of disability and functional limitations as a function of interview time. We also determine the impact of socioeconomic resources, health behaviors, and health conditions on the trends. Our results show increasing prevalence of disability and functional limitations. These trends reflect the net result of complex countervailing forces, some associated with increases in functioning problems (unfavorable trends in economic well-being, especially income, and psychological distress) while other factors have suppressed the growth of functioning problems (favorable trends in educational attainment and some health behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use). The results underscore that disability prevention must expand beyond medical interventions to include fundamental social factors and be focused on preventing or delaying the onset of chronic health problems and functional limitations.

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confidence: 99%

Explaining the increasing disability prevalence among mid-life US adults, 2002 to 2016

Zajacova

Montez

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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“…A third additional factor in the rise of loneliness and isolation specifically concerns older Americans, who -as the Advisory indicates -are our most socially isolated demographic (19), with those 65 and older spending 1405 more hours per year in social isolation than 25-34 year-olds (Kannan & Veazie, 2023: 5-6). This is due in large part to the fact that 27% of Americans 65 and older live alone, compared to 4% of Americans aged 18-24, and 8.5% of those aged 25-44 (Wu, 2017), and compared with only 11% of the elderly in the Asia-Pacific region, or 9% in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ausubel, 2020). (The oft-cited figure that 29% of American households now consist of a single person (cf.…”

Section: Additional Drivers (Iii): Shrinking Households and The Isola...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Supplement to the Surgeon General’s Advisory “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation”

Case,

Corbin,

Teubner

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The US Surgeon General (SG) Vivek Murthy recently published a public health advisory, which describes “our epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” details the public health burden posed by these trends, and highlights some strategies for ameliorating it (Murthy, 2023). Our aim in this Supplement is to call attention to some of what is underemphasized in the SG’s report, in the hope of building on his important Advisory to develop a yet more comprehensive account of the drivers of the decline of belonging in contemporary America, and of a path back toward a richly connected society.

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“…Relative to those living with spouses/partners only, older adults living alone tend to be poorer (Henning-smith, 2016; Weissman & Russell, 2018). Solo dwellers are also increasingly more likely to be divorced than to be widowed (Wu, 2017), suggesting that poor socioeconomic status and negative life events constrain some middle-aged and older adults to live alone. Living with others, as in married-couple households, provides potential access to social capital, economic resources, and social support (Cohen, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Decades of Change in Living Arrangements and Health of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the U.S., 1997–2018

Lamidi

Nash

2022

J Appl Gerontol

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Although living arrangements of American adults have changed significantly over the past decades, we know little about changes in the association between living arrangements and health. This study uses pooled data from 1997 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey to examine trends in living arrangements and health among middle-aged (ages 40–64) and older adults (ages 65–84). The results show that increasing share of middle-aged and older adults are living with persons other than their spouses or cohabiting partners, and this living arrangement is increasingly associated with poor health. Co-residence with persons other than spouses or cohabiting partners is particularly related to serious psychological distress among older adult women. Living alone in midlife is increasingly associated with poor health, but there has been little change in health of older adults living alone. The findings call for targeted policies and programs to address the needs of middle-aged and older adults in diverse living arrangements.

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Twenty-five Year Trends in Living Alone in the U.S., 1990 and 2015

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Explaining the increasing disability prevalence among mid-life US adults, 2002 to 2016

Explaining the increasing disability prevalence among mid-life US adults, 2002 to 2016

A Supplement to the Surgeon General’s Advisory “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation”

Two Decades of Change in Living Arrangements and Health of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the U.S., 1997–2018

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