Few Friends Combined with Loneliness Linked To Poor
Mental, Physical Health for Elderly
National study first to identify links for two
different types of isolation among senior citizens
March 18, 2009 - Although not having many close
friends contributes to poorer health for many older adults, those who
also feel lonely face even greater health risks, research at the
University of Chicago suggests. Older people who are able to adjust to
being alone don't have the same health problems.
Jan. 9, 2006 A professional study in 2002 found that "animal-assisted
therapy can effectively reduce the loneliness of residents in long-term
care facilities.
The study is the first to examine the relationships
between health and two different types of isolation. Researchers
measured the degree to which older adults are socially connected and
socially active. They also assessed whether older adults feel lonely and
whether they expect that friends and family would help them in times of
need.
"Social disconnectedness is associated with worse
physical health, regardless of whether it prompts feelings of loneliness
or a perceived lack of social support," said study co-author Linda
Waite, the Lucy Flower Professor in Sociology at the University of
Chicago and a leading expert on aging.
However, the researchers found a different
relationship between social isolation and mental health. "The
relationship between social disconnectedness and mental health appears
to operate through feelings of loneliness and a perceived lack of social
support," Waite explained.
Older adults who feel most isolated report 65
percent more depressive symptoms than those who feel least isolated,
regardless of their actual levels of connectedness. The consequences of
poor mental health can be substantial, as deteriorating mental health
also reduces people's willingness to exercise and may increase
health-risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking and alcohol use, Waite
explained.
Among the study's findings:
● The most socially connected older adults are
three times as likely to report very good or excellent health compared
to those who are least connected, regardless of whether they feel
isolated.
● Older adults who feel least isolated are five
times as likely to report very good or excellent health as those who
feel most isolated, regardless of their actual level of social
connectedness.
● Social disconnectedness is not related to
mental health unless it brings feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Older adults who are able to withstand socially
isolating circumstances or adjust their expectations so they do not
develop strong feelings of loneliness may fare better, the study
suggests. "We need to better understand how older adults adapt to
changes in their social relationships," Waite added.
The work is reported in the article, "Social
Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation and Health Among Older Adults,"
published in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social
Behavior, a quarterly journal of the American Sociological Association.
Waite conducted the study with lead author Erin York Cornwell, a
Postdoctoral Associate in Sociology at Cornell University who completed
her Ph.D. in Sociology at Chicago in 2008.
For their research, the scholars examined the
results of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a
nationally representative study of older adults supported by the
National Institute on Aging. The study, a comprehensive look at aging
and health, included interviews with about 3,000 people aged 57 to 85
between 2005 and 2006.
Because of the size of the survey, the scholars
were able to consider in detail older adults' social networks, their
participation in social activities, their feelings of loneliness and
their perceptions of the availability of help or advice from friends and
family members. They also asked questions about physical health, mental
health and feelings of sadness or depression.
The work should help policymakers develop programs
to compensate for the problems brought on by social disconnectedness and
loneliness among older people.
Aging often brings changes in social relationships
as individuals retire, take up new activities, endure losses and
experience health changes, the authors said.
"For some older adults, a shrinking circle of
friends and family can lead to feelings of loneliness or isolation. Our
findings suggest that those who adapt to losses so that they don't feel
isolated fare better with respect to both physical and mental health,"
Cornwell explained.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
March 18, 2009 - Although not having many close
friends contributes to poorer health for many older adults, those who
also feel lonely face even greater health risks, research at the
University of Chicago suggests. Older people who are able to adjust to
being alone don't have the same health problems.
