Solitary Day, Solitary Activities, and Associations With Well-Being Among Older Adults

Abstract

Objectives: Drawing on activity theory of aging, we examined whether solitary activities may be associated with negative well-being, as they may reflect social isolation. Using American Time Use Surveys, with information on "with whom" individuals engaged in activities over a 24 hr period, we created measures capturing solitary days and solitary activities to understand their prevalence and associations with well-being.

Methods: At the daily level, we examined associations between solitary days and proportion of the day in solitary activities with life satisfaction. At the activity level, we examined associations between engaging in an activity alone versus with others and emotional state during the activity.

Results: Solitary days and higher proportion of the day spent in solitary activities were associated with lower life satisfaction. These associations were attenuated controlling for individual covariates. Engagement in activities alone was associated with lower levels of happiness and higher levels of sadness and pain during the activity, and association with happiness remained even adjusting for covariates.

Discussion: A sizable proportion of older adults reported solitary days, and proportion of the day spent in solitary activities increases by age. Examining lived experiences of older adults and presence of others during activities could contribute to research on social isolation.

Keywords: Life satisfaction; Social isolation; Solitary activities; Solitary days; Time use.