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. 2024 Feb;52(1):64-70.
doi: 10.1177/14034948221131419. Epub 2022 Oct 21.

Determinants of a sense of insecurity among home-dwelling older people

Mia T Knuutila  1   2   3 , Tuuli E Lehti  1   2   3 , Helena Karppinen  2 , Hannu Kautiainen  2 , Timo E Strandberg  4   5 , Hannareeta Öhman  2   4 , Niina M Savikko  2   6 , Anu H Jansson  2   7 , Kaisu H Pitkälä  2   3
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Determinants of a sense of insecurity among home-dwelling older people

Mia T Knuutila et al. Scand J Public Health. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Aims: A sense of insecurity may have an impact on older people's well-being and their courage to engage actively in meaningful activities. Studies on a sense of insecurity among older people are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which home-dwelling older adults perceive their life as being insecure and how a sense of insecurity is associated with their health, functional status, active social engagement, well-being and perceptions of the societal treatment of older people. Methods: This study is part of the Helsinki Aging Study, a cohort study ongoing since 1989. Data were collected using a postal questionnaire that was mailed in 2019 to a random sample of home-dwelling older people ⩾75 years of age living in Helsinki (N=2917; response rate 74%). The questionnaire inquired about the respondents' sense of security/insecurity, and they were subcategorised into those feeling secure and those feeling insecure based on their answers. Results: Seven per cent of respondents felt insecure in their lives. In a stepwise logistic regression analysis, loneliness, living alone and perceived poor societal treatment of older people were associated with a sense of insecurity, while having good self-rated health, having children and meeting friends at least weekly were associated with lower odds of insecurity. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of recognising and combating loneliness, social isolation and societal ageism in order to reduce insecurity among older people and to support their active engagement in life.

Keywords: Oldest old; Sense of insecurity; aged; ageism; loneliness.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: Dr Strandberg reports educational cooperation with Servier, Orion and Novartis outside the submitted work. Dr Strandberg reports membership of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) and its special interest groups of cardiovascular medicine in older people and diabetes in older people. The other authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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