Loneliness from Young Adulthood to Old Age: Explaining Age Differences in Loneliness

Abstract

Prior research in non-U.S. samples has found a complex nonlinear relationship between loneliness and age. This research has shown that established predictors of loneliness - poor health, being unmarried, living alone, and having infrequent social interactions - help to explain age differences in loneliness. However, while some variables were found to be universal predictors of loneliness at all ages, others were relevant in specific age groups only. In this study, we describe age differences in frequency of loneliness from age 18 to 89+ years in the U.S., and examine age differences in predictors of loneliness from age-specificity and age-normative perspectives. We used cross-sectional nationally representative data from the General Social Survey (N = 2,477) and found a nonlinear relationship between age and loneliness that closely resembles prior research. However, we found no evidence for age-specific predictors of loneliness. Household income, household size, marital status, health, and frequency of socializing were "universal" predictors of loneliness; their associations with loneliness did not differ in strength with age. Our hypothesis that individuals who deviated from age-specific norms would experience more intense loneliness was not supported. Implications for research and loneliness interventions are discussed.

Figure 1.

Age distribution of loneliness (standardized) across both waves, for unadjusted scores (continuous line, red confidence band) and scores adjusted for covariates (dashed line, blue confidence band). Confidence bands depict 95% confidence intervals. N = 2,440.

Figure 2.

Age distribution of loneliness (standardized, not adjusted for covariates) in the 2014 (N = 1,278) and 2018 (N = 1,162) GSS waves. Confidence bands depict 95% confidence intervals.