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. 2022 Dec 10;19(24):16622.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416622.

Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Community Dwelling-Individuals: The Role of Socio-Demographics

Vanessa Ibáñez-Del Valle  1   2 , Silvia Corchón  1   2 , Georgiana Zaharia  2 , Omar Cauli  1   2
Affiliations

Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Community Dwelling-Individuals: The Role of Socio-Demographics

Vanessa Ibáñez-Del Valle et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Social determinants have a major influence on individuals' health, and among them, loneliness has an important impact on the health of the elderly.

Objectives: The aims were to determine loneliness and its social and emotional components in a sample of elderly people and to assess its prevalence and associations with sociodemographic variables.

Methods: Analytical, cross-sectional, observational research was carried out based on a population over 60 years of age in Valencia (Spain). Loneliness was assessed with the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale.

Results: Five-hundred and thirty community-dwelling individuals participated. The mean age of the sample was 72.7 years (84.2% women); 36.2% suffered from moderate loneliness and 6.6% suffered from extreme loneliness. The sociodemographic variables most significantly related to loneliness were being single, separated, or divorced (p < 0.01). Among widowers, loneliness was inversely associated with years of widowhood (p < 0.01). Having sons/daughters was a significant protective factor (p < 0.05), while having grandchildren or siblings did not have a significant influence. The ability to walk and smartphone and video call use were not associated with loneliness.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of unwanted loneliness in community-dwelling individuals, and some social factors play an important role. Interventions against loneliness among older people are a priority for welfare and public health.

Keywords: community dwelling-individuals; elderly; emotional loneliness; loneliness; social loneliness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of loneliness based on the categorization of the score on the loneliness scale. Score of 0–2 points = no loneliness; score of 3–8 points = moderate loneliness; and score of 9–11 points = severe loneliness.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Emotional (A), social (B), and total (C) loneliness scores for men and women. p < 0.05. * significant differences.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Emotional (A), social (B), and total (C) loneliness scores and marital status. p < 0.05 compared to the Married group. * Significant differences.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Emotional (A), social (B), and total (C) loneliness scores with and without son(s)/daughter(s). * Significant differences.
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