What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether social isolation and loneliness independently predict all-cause mortality and whether loneliness mediates the link between isolation and survival.

March 25, 2013Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOpen Access

Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women

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To determine whether social isolation and loneliness independently predict all-cause mortality and whether loneliness mediates the link between isolation and survival.
Assessed social isolation through family/friend contact and civic participation, alongside standard loneliness questionnaires, in 6,500 adults aged 52 and older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2004–2005).
Monitored all-cause mortality through March 2012 over a mean follow-up of 7.25 years using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for demographic characteristics and baseline health status.
After adjusting for demographic factors and baseline health, social isolation remained significantly associated with all-cause mortality (HR 1.26, 95% CI, 1.08–1.48 for the top quintile).
Loneliness was not independently associated with mortality after adjustment (HR 0.92, 95% CI, 0.78–1.09) and did not alter the association between social isolation and mortality when included in the model.

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Implication

Cohort study reveals social isolation independently increases all-cause mortality risk in older adults, indicating objective social contact is more critical to survival than subjective loneliness.

Cite This Study

Steptoe et al. (2013) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c3249e4b3167f040168640 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1219686110

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Implication

Cohort study reveals social isolation independently increases all-cause mortality risk in older adults, indicating objective social contact is more critical to survival than subjective loneliness.

Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women

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Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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