Have Middle-Aged and Older Americans Become Lonelier? 20-Year Trends From the Health and Retirement Study.

Surkalim, DL; Clare, PJ; Eres, R; Gebel, K; Bauman, A; Ding, D

Have Middle-Aged and Older Americans Become Lonelier? 20-Year Trends From the Health and Retirement Study.

Surkalim, DL Clare, PJ Eres, R Gebel, K

Bauman, A Ding, D

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Publisher:: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 2023, 78, (7), pp. 1215-1223
Issue Date:: 2023-06-26

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Surkalim, DL
dc.contributor.author	Clare, PJ
dc.contributor.author	Eres, R
dc.contributor.author	Gebel, K https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0330-7756
dc.contributor.author	Bauman, A
dc.contributor.author	Ding, D
dc.contributor.editor	Schafer, M
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-17T22:23:21Z
dc.date.available	2024-01-17T22:23:21Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06-26
dc.identifier.citation	J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 2023, 78, (7), pp. 1215-1223
dc.identifier.issn	1079-5014
dc.identifier.issn	1758-5368
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/174734
dc.description.abstract	OBJECTIVES: Despite media and public dialog portraying loneliness as a worsening problem, little is known about how the prevalence of loneliness has changed over time. Our study aims to identify (a) temporal trends in episodic and sustained loneliness (lonely in 1 wave vs consistently lonely in 3 consecutive waves); (b) trends across sociodemographic subgroups by sex, race/ethnicity, birth cohort, education, employment status, marital status, and living alone; and (c) longitudinal predictors of loneliness in middle-aged and older Americans (≥50 years). METHODS: Based on Waves 3 (1996) to 14 (2018) of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 18,841-23,227), we conducted a series of lagged mixed-effects Poisson regression models to assess trends of episodic and sustained loneliness in the overall and sociodemographic subgroup samples (by sex, race/ethnicity, birth cohort, education, employment, relationship, and living alone status). To examine the predictors of episodic and sustained loneliness, we used a multivariate mixed-effects Poisson regression model with all sociodemographic variables entered into the same model. RESULTS: Episodic loneliness prevalence decreased from 20.1% to 15.5% and sustained loneliness from 4.6% to 3.6%. Trends were similar across most subgroups. Males, Caucasians, those born in 1928-1945, with university education, working, married/partnered, and those not living alone reported lower episodic and sustained loneliness, although associations with sustained loneliness were stronger. DISCUSSION: Contrary to common perceptions, loneliness has decreased over 20 years of follow-up in middle-aged and older Americans. Several sociodemographic subgroups have been identified as having a higher risk of loneliness, prompting targeted public health attention.
dc.format	Print
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
dc.relation.ispartof	J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1093/geronb/gbad062
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1103 Clinical Sciences, 1608 Sociology, 1701 Psychology
dc.subject.classification	Gerontology
dc.subject.classification	52 Psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Loneliness
dc.subject.mesh	Retirement
dc.subject.mesh	Employment
dc.subject.mesh	Marital Status
dc.subject.mesh	Marriage
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Loneliness
dc.subject.mesh	Marital Status
dc.subject.mesh	Marriage
dc.subject.mesh	Retirement
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Employment
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Loneliness
dc.subject.mesh	Retirement
dc.subject.mesh	Employment
dc.subject.mesh	Marital Status
dc.subject.mesh	Marriage
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.title	Have Middle-Aged and Older Americans Become Lonelier? 20-Year Trends From the Health and Retirement Study.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	78
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	1103 Clinical Sciences
utslib.for	1608 Sociology
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Public Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2024-01-17T22:23:19Z
pubs.issue	7
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	78
utslib.citation.issue	7

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Despite media and public dialog portraying loneliness as a worsening problem, little is known about how the prevalence of loneliness has changed over time. Our study aims to identify (a) temporal trends in episodic and sustained loneliness (lonely in 1 wave vs consistently lonely in 3 consecutive waves); (b) trends across sociodemographic subgroups by sex, race/ethnicity, birth cohort, education, employment status, marital status, and living alone; and (c) longitudinal predictors of loneliness in middle-aged and older Americans (≥50 years). METHODS: Based on Waves 3 (1996) to 14 (2018) of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 18,841-23,227), we conducted a series of lagged mixed-effects Poisson regression models to assess trends of episodic and sustained loneliness in the overall and sociodemographic subgroup samples (by sex, race/ethnicity, birth cohort, education, employment, relationship, and living alone status). To examine the predictors of episodic and sustained loneliness, we used a multivariate mixed-effects Poisson regression model with all sociodemographic variables entered into the same model. RESULTS: Episodic loneliness prevalence decreased from 20.1% to 15.5% and sustained loneliness from 4.6% to 3.6%. Trends were similar across most subgroups. Males, Caucasians, those born in 1928-1945, with university education, working, married/partnered, and those not living alone reported lower episodic and sustained loneliness, although associations with sustained loneliness were stronger. DISCUSSION: Contrary to common perceptions, loneliness has decreased over 20 years of follow-up in middle-aged and older Americans. Several sociodemographic subgroups have been identified as having a higher risk of loneliness, prompting targeted public health attention.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/174734