Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec;93(4):1017-1030.
doi: 10.1007/s11126-022-10006-7. Epub 2022 Nov 9.

Loneliness in Elderly Inpatients

Sandra Anna Just #  1 , Magdalena Seethaler #  2 , Rosana Sarpeah  2 , Nathalie Waßmuth  2 , Felix Bermpohl  2 , Eva Janina Brandl  2
Affiliations

Loneliness in Elderly Inpatients

Sandra Anna Just et al. Psychiatr Q. 2022 Dec.

Erratum in

  • Correction to: Loneliness in Elderly Inpatients.
    Just SA, Seethaler M, Sarpeah R, Waßmuth N, Bermpohl F, Brandl EJ. Just SA, et al. Psychiatr Q. 2023 Jun;94(2):343. doi: 10.1007/s11126-023-10021-2. Psychiatr Q. 2023. PMID: 37130965 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Purpose: Loneliness among the elderly is a widespread phenomenon and is connected to various negative health outcomes. Nevertheless, loneliness among elderly inpatients, especially those with a psychiatric diagnosis, has hardly been examined. Our study assessed loneliness in elderly inpatients, identified predictors, and compared levels of loneliness between inpatients on psychiatric and somatic wards.

Methods: N = 100 elderly inpatients of a somatic and psychiatric ward were included. Levels of loneliness were assessed, as were potential predictors such as depression, psychological resilience, severity of mental illness, well-being, daily functioning, and psychiatric diagnosis. Analyses of group differences and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted.

Results: 37% of all inpatients reported elevated levels of loneliness. Significant predictor variables were self-reported depressive symptoms, well-being, severity of mental illness, being single and living with a caregiver. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the full model explained 58% of variance in loneliness. Psychiatric inpatients' loneliness was significantly higher than loneliness in somatic inpatients. When analyzing group differences between inpatients with different main psychiatric diagnoses, highest levels were found in patients with an affective disorder, followed by those treated for organic mental disorder. Since the study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, potential influence of different measurement points (lockdown vs. no lockdown) were analyzed: Differences in loneliness depending on the phase of the pandemic were non-significant.

Conclusion: Elderly inpatients experience high levels of loneliness, especially those with a mental disorder. Interventions to reduce loneliness in this population should address predictors of loneliness, preferably through multiprofessional interventions.

Keywords: Covid; Depression; Elderly; Geriatric; Hospitalization; Loneliness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

EJB received speaker fees from Medice.

References

    1. Perlman D, Peplau LA. Toward a Social Psychology of Loneliness. In: Gilmour R, Duck S, editors. Personal Relationships: 3. Relationships in Disorder. London: Academic Press; 1981. pp. 31–56.
    1. Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Thisted RA. Perceived social isolation makes me sad: 5-year cross-lagged analyses of loneliness and depressive symptomatology in the chicago health, aging, and social relations study. Psychol Aging. 2010;25:453–63. doi: 10.1037/a0017216. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cacioppo JT, Patrick W, Loneliness . Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. New York: W. W. Norton & Company; 2008.
    1. Beutel ME, Klein EM, Brähler E, Reiner I, Jünger C, Michal M, et al. Loneliness in the general population: Prevalence, determinants and relations to mental health. BMC Psychiatry. 2017 doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1262-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yang K, Victor C. Age and loneliness in 25 European nations. Aging Soc. 2011;31:1368–88. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X1000139X. - DOI

Publication types