Effects of own and spousal disability on loneliness among older adults
- PMID: 18332186
- DOI: 10.1177/0898264308315431
Effects of own and spousal disability on loneliness among older adults
Abstract
Objectives: This study examines the effects of own and spousal disability on social and emotional loneliness among married adults aged 65 and older.
Method: Data from 710 men and 379 women of a Dutch community sample were analyzed with linear regression analyses.
Results: For men, only their wives' disability was related to higher levels of social loneliness, whereas for women mainly their own disability was related to higher levels of social loneliness. Own disability and spousal disability were related to higher levels of emotional loneliness among both men and women. Effects of disability remained unaffected after controlling for characteristics of the social network and the marital relationship.
Discussion: Findings underscore the importance of considering effects of both spouses' health on measures of individual well-being. Also, the traditional division of social roles makes older married men relatively vulnerable to social loneliness when their wives suffer from disability.
Similar articles
-
[Differential indicators of loneliness among elderly. The importance of type of partner relationship, partner history, health, socioeconomic status and social relations].Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr. 1999 Oct;30(5):212-25. Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr. 1999. PMID: 10568246 Dutch.
-
Quality of marriages in later life and emotional and social loneliness.J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2009 Jun;64(4):497-506. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbn043. Epub 2009 Feb 12. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2009. PMID: 19213848
-
Loneliness as a predictor of quality of life among older caregivers.J Adv Nurs. 2005 Jan;49(1):23-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03260.x. J Adv Nurs. 2005. PMID: 15610378
-
Loneliness in older women: a review of the literature.Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2006 Aug-Sep;27(7):795-813. doi: 10.1080/01612840600781196. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2006. PMID: 16849264 Review.
-
Gender and psychological distress among middle- and older-aged colorectal cancer patients and their spouses: an unexpected outcome.Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2009 Apr;70(1):71-82. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2008.07.014. Epub 2008 Aug 30. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2009. PMID: 18762432 Review.
Cited by
-
Assessing the relative importance of correlates of loneliness in later life. Gaining insight using recursive partitioning.Aging Ment Health. 2018 Nov;22(11):1486-1493. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1370690. Epub 2017 Sep 8. Aging Ment Health. 2018. PMID: 28885038 Free PMC article.
-
Functional Status, Cognition, and Social Relationships in Dyadic Perspective.J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Apr 12;74(4):703-714. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx024. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019. PMID: 28369622 Free PMC article.
-
Loneliness and Functional Decline in Aging: A Systematic Review.Res Gerontol Nurs. 2023 Jul-Aug;16(4):202-212. doi: 10.3928/19404921-20230503-02. Epub 2023 May 12. Res Gerontol Nurs. 2023. PMID: 37159388 Free PMC article.
-
The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent: Physical Disability, Social Role Configurations, and Changes in Loneliness Among Married and Unmarried Older Adults.J Aging Health. 2019 Sep;31(8):1423-1453. doi: 10.1177/0898264318781129. Epub 2018 Jun 15. J Aging Health. 2019. PMID: 29907072 Free PMC article.
-
Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 8;17(24):9176. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249176. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020. PMID: 33302577 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical