Network analysis of social isolation, loneliness and depression among rural older adults in China

This study examined the symptom-level network structure of social isolation, loneliness, and depressive symptoms among rural older adults in China, and identified core and bridge symptoms connecting these constructs. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2025 Zhejiang Rural Older Adults Health and Aging Survey ( N = 2,528). Network analysis was conducted to examine symptom-level relationships. Results: The symptom network demonstrated good stability (CS-coefficient = 0.75). Strength centrality analysis identified loneliness item L6 (“People are around me but not with me”; strength = 1.400) and depressive symptom D3 (“feeling helpless”; strength = 1.139) as the most central nodes. Bridge strength analysis revealed that loneliness item L2 (“I feel part of a group of friends” [reverse-coded]; bridge strength = 0.580) and social isolation item SI3 (“having contact with friends less than once a month”; bridge strength = 0.490) functioned as the strongest bridges between constructs. Conclusions: The symptom-level network analysis revealed the interconnected structure of social isolation, loneliness, and depressive symptoms among rural older adults. These findings point to enhancing friend connectivity and fostering belonging as promising avenues for future research.