Suffering from Loneliness Indicates Significant Mortality Risk of Older People

Background. The harmful associates of suffering from loneliness are still in dispute. Objective. To examine the association of feelings of loneliness with all-cause mortality in a general aged population. Methods. A postal questionnaire was sent to randomly selected community-dwelling of elderly people (>74 years) from the Finnish National Population Register. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, living conditions, functioning, health, and need for help. Suffering from loneliness was assessed with one question and participants were categorized as lonely or not lonely. Total mortality was retrieved from the National Population Information System. Results. Of 3687 respondents, 39% suffered from loneliness. Lonely people were more likely to be deceased during the 57-month follow-up (31%) than subjects not feeling lonely (23%, P < .001). Excess mortality (HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.21–1.57) of lonely people increased over time. After controlling for age and gender, the mortality risk of the lonely individuals was 1.33 (95% CI = 1.17–1.51) and after further controlling for subjective health 1.17 (CI = 1.02–1.33). The excess mortality was consistent in all major subgroups. Conclusion. Suffering from loneliness is common and indicates significant mortality risk in old age.

[1]  B. Penninx,et al.  The influence of differing social ties on decline in physical functioning among older people with and without chronic diseases: The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam , 2003, Aging clinical and experimental research.

[2]  E Dugan,et al.  The influence of depression, and family and friendship relations, on residents' loneliness in congregate housing. , 1990, The Gerontologist.

[3]  Ulrik Brandes,et al.  Social Networks , 2013, Handbook of Graph Drawing and Visualization.

[4]  L. Andersson,et al.  Loneliness research and interventions: A review of the literature , 1998 .

[5]  H. Kautiainen,et al.  Effects of psychosocial group rehabilitation on health, use of health care services, and mortality of older persons suffering from loneliness: a randomized, controlled trial. , 2009, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[6]  D. Mellström,et al.  Loneliness in the Swedish aged. , 1981, Journal of gerontology.

[7]  T. Strandberg,et al.  Positive life orientation as a predictor of 10-year outcome in an aged population. , 2004, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[8]  T. Strandberg,et al.  Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged population. , 2005, Archives of gerontology and geriatrics.

[9]  W. E. Berg,et al.  Loneliness among the elderly: a causal approach. , 1985, Journal of gerontology.

[10]  T. Strandberg,et al.  Predictors of cognitive decline and mortality of aged people over a 10-year period. , 2004, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[11]  D Kromhout,et al.  Changes in and factors related to loneliness in older men. The Zutphen Elderly Study. , 1999, Age and ageing.

[12]  James A Scott,et al.  Loneliness , 2011, The Lancet.

[13]  R. Davies,et al.  Social Isolation and Loneliness in Old Age: Review and Model Refinement , 1996, Ageing and Society.

[14]  J. Guralnik,et al.  Self-rated health showed a graded association with frequently used biomarkers in a large population sample. , 2006, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[15]  W. Marsden.  I and J , 2012 .

[16]  A. Ellaway,et al.  Someone to talk to? The role of loneliness as a factor in the frequency of GP consultations. , 1999, The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

[17]  I. Hallberg,et al.  Loneliness, fear, and quality of life among elderly in Sweden: a gender perspective , 2005, Aging clinical and experimental research.

[18]  A. Plattner,et al.  Social networks and dementia , 2000, The Lancet.

[19]  O. Kim,et al.  Predictors of loneliness in elderly Korean immigrant women living in the United States of America. , 1999, Journal of advanced nursing.

[20]  B. Penninx,et al.  Effects of social support and personal coping resources on mortality in older age: the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. , 1997, American journal of epidemiology.

[21]  J. Liang,et al.  Social networks, social support, and mortality among older people in Japan. , 1994, Journal of gerontology.

[22]  George A. Kaplan,et al.  Social Functioning and Overall Mortality: Prospective Evidence from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study , 1994, Epidemiology.

[23]  B. Winblad,et al.  An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia , 2004, The Lancet Neurology.

[24]  A. Valdini,et al.  Loneliness as a predictor of hospital emergency department use. , 1999, The Journal of family practice.

[25]  R B Wallace,et al.  Loneliness and nursing home admission among rural older adults. , 1997, Psychology and aging.

[26]  L. Berkman,et al.  Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. , 1979, American journal of epidemiology.

[27]  T. Strandberg,et al.  Social Contacts and Their Relationship to Loneliness among Aged People – A Population-Based Study , 2006, Gerontology.

[28]  J. Jokela,et al.  Individual Experiences as Cultural – a Cross-cultural Study on Loneliness Among the Elderly , 1990, Ageing and Society.

[29]  Aaas News,et al.  Book Reviews , 1893, Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal.