Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe
Purpose:<b> </b>Loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on health in old age; however, the prospective associations with quality of life (QoL) remain unclear. Furthermore, despite the existence of a European north-south gradient in the distribution of loneliness and soci...
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doaj-2f9cea0773694f9f85e46273ab5ede4a2020-11-25T04:05:31ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012020-11-01178637863710.3390/ijerph17228637Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern EuropeGiorgi Beridze0Alba Ayala1Oscar Ribeiro2Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas3Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez4Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez5Fermina Rojo-Pérez6Maria João Forjaz7Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga8Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet-Stockholm University, 17165 Stockholm, SwedenNational School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, SpainCenter for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, PortugalInstitute of Economics, Geography and Demography (IEGD), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28037 Madrid, SpainNational Centre of Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, SpainInstitute of Economics, Geography and Demography (IEGD), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28037 Madrid, SpainInstitute of Economics, Geography and Demography (IEGD), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28037 Madrid, SpainHealth Services Research on Chronic Patients Network (REDISSEC), Carlos III Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, SpainAging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet-Stockholm University, 17165 Stockholm, SwedenPurpose:<b> </b>Loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on health in old age; however, the prospective associations with quality of life (QoL) remain unclear. Furthermore, despite the existence of a European north-south gradient in the distribution of loneliness and social isolation, little is known whether the associations are context-specific. We investigated the relationships between loneliness, social isolation and QoL of older adults residing in the North (Sweden) and South (Spain) of Europe. Methods:<b> </b>Study sample consisted of 2995 Swedish and 4154 Spanish older adults who participated in waves six and seven of the Study on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Loneliness and social isolation were measured at the baseline, and QoL was measured at the baseline and follow-up using CASP-12. Prospective associations were assessed via multivariate linear regression. Results:<b> </b>In Sweden, subjects with higher vs. lower loneliness had 1.01 (95% CI: −1.55, −0.40) units lower QoL, while every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.27 (95% CI: −0.42, −0.09)-unit decrease in QoL. In Spain, every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.66 (95% CI: −1.11, −0.22)-unit decrease in QoL. The association was stronger in subjects aged ≤65 years old and those with no chronic diseases. The association with loneliness was not statistically significant in Spain. Conclusion:<b> </b>Loneliness and social isolation are prospectively associated with decreased QoL among older adults, yet the associations are contextually bound. Future interventions should target both exposures, among others, in order to increase QoL in this group.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8637aginglonelinesssocial isolationquality of lifeSHAREprospective studies |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Giorgi Beridze Alba Ayala Oscar Ribeiro Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez Fermina Rojo-Pérez Maria João Forjaz Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga |
spellingShingle |
Giorgi Beridze Alba Ayala Oscar Ribeiro Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez Fermina Rojo-Pérez Maria João Forjaz Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health aging loneliness social isolation quality of life SHARE prospective studies |
author_facet |
Giorgi Beridze Alba Ayala Oscar Ribeiro Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez Fermina Rojo-Pérez Maria João Forjaz Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga |
author_sort |
Giorgi Beridze |
title |
Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe |
title_short |
Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe |
title_full |
Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe |
title_fullStr |
Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe |
title_full_unstemmed |
Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe |
title_sort |
are loneliness and social isolation associated with quality of life in older adults? insights from northern and southern europe |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1661-7827 1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2020-11-01 |
description |
Purpose:<b> </b>Loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on health in old age; however, the prospective associations with quality of life (QoL) remain unclear. Furthermore, despite the existence of a European north-south gradient in the distribution of loneliness and social isolation, little is known whether the associations are context-specific. We investigated the relationships between loneliness, social isolation and QoL of older adults residing in the North (Sweden) and South (Spain) of Europe. Methods:<b> </b>Study sample consisted of 2995 Swedish and 4154 Spanish older adults who participated in waves six and seven of the Study on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Loneliness and social isolation were measured at the baseline, and QoL was measured at the baseline and follow-up using CASP-12. Prospective associations were assessed via multivariate linear regression. Results:<b> </b>In Sweden, subjects with higher vs. lower loneliness had 1.01 (95% CI: −1.55, −0.40) units lower QoL, while every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.27 (95% CI: −0.42, −0.09)-unit decrease in QoL. In Spain, every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.66 (95% CI: −1.11, −0.22)-unit decrease in QoL. The association was stronger in subjects aged ≤65 years old and those with no chronic diseases. The association with loneliness was not statistically significant in Spain. Conclusion:<b> </b>Loneliness and social isolation are prospectively associated with decreased QoL among older adults, yet the associations are contextually bound. Future interventions should target both exposures, among others, in order to increase QoL in this group. |
topic |
aging loneliness social isolation quality of life SHARE prospective studies |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8637 |
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