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. 2024 Jun 1;79(6):gbae048.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbae048.

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Association Between Stroke and Loneliness

Emily C Willroth  1 , Payton D Rule  1 , Eileen K Graham  2 , Marjorie L Nicholas  3 , Robin Hattori  4 , Tess Thompson  5 , Lisa Tabor Connor  4
Affiliations

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Association Between Stroke and Loneliness

Emily C Willroth et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives: The present research examined associations between stroke and long-term trajectories of loneliness.

Methods: We conducted secondary analyses in 3 large representative panel studies of adults 50 years and older in the United States, Europe, and Israel: the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA; analytic N = 14,992); the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; analytic N = 103,782); and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; analytic N = 22,179). Within each sample, we used discontinuous growth curve modeling to estimate loneliness trajectories across adulthood and the impact of stroke on loneliness trajectories.

Results: Across all 3 samples, participants who experienced stroke reported higher levels of loneliness relative to participants who did not experience stroke. In ELSA and HRS (but not SHARE), loneliness levels were higher after stroke onset relative to before stroke onset.

Discussion: This research adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating elevated loneliness among stroke survivors and highlights the need for interventions to increase social connectedness after stroke.

Keywords: Cerebrovascular disease; Health Event; Recovery; Social connectedness.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Model-estimated loneliness trajectories ELSA, SHARE, and HRS for three hypothetical participants: an individual who experienced stroke prior to study entry; an individual who experienced stroke at age 68, and an individual who never experienced stroke. ELSA = English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; HRS = Health and Retirement Study; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The y-axis depicts one standard deviation centered around the mean loneliness level in each sample.
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