Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women
Steptoe, Shankar, Demakakos and Wardle ask whether the effects of social isolation and loneliness on mortality are independent, or whether loneliness is the emotional pathway through which isolation does its damage. Social isolation was assessed through contact with family and friends and participation in civic organisations among 6,500 men and women aged fifty-two and over in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, with loneliness measured by standard questionnaire and mortality monitored over an average follow-up of just over seven years. Mortality was higher among the more isolated and the more lonely. After adjusting for demographic factors and baseline health, social isolation remained significantly associated with mortality while loneliness did not, and the isolation association was unchanged when loneliness was included in the model. The authors conclude that both impair quality of life and wellbeing, and that efforts to reduce isolation are likely to be more relevant to mortality.
Steptoe, Shankar, Demakakos and Wardle ask whether the effects of social isolation and loneliness on mortality are independent, or whether loneliness is the emotional pathway through which isolation does its damage. Social isolation was assessed through contact with family and friends and participation in civic organisations among 6,500 men and women aged fifty-two and over in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, with loneliness measured by standard questionnaire and mortality monitored over an average follow-up of just over seven years. Mortality was higher among the more isolated and the more lonely. After adjusting for demographic factors and baseline health, social isolation remained significantly associated with mortality while loneliness did not, and the isolation association was unchanged when loneliness was included in the model. The authors conclude that both impair quality of life and wellbeing, and that efforts to reduce isolation are likely to be more relevant to mortality.
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6,500 participants aged 52 and over in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, mean follow-up 7.25 years; after adjustment for demographic factors and baseline health, social isolation remained significantly associated with mortality and loneliness did not; the association of isolation with mortality was unchanged when loneliness was included. doi:10.1073/pnas.1219686110
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- Which Is Worse, Being Alone or Feeling Lonely, Why We Belong
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1219686110
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219686110