Living Alone, Social Integration, and Mental Health

1981 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hughes ◽  
Walter R. Gove
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Living Alone

scholarly journals Role of social integration in the protection against depression in the Chilean elderly population

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L de Albuquerque Araújo ◽  
N Bello Escamilla ◽  
V Sabando Franulic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
National Study ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Negative Gradient

Abstract Chile has improved survival however this process occurs under a framework of socioeconomic and gender inequalities, which results in an impact of mental health, especially in vulnerable groups. The objective was to determine the association between depression and social integration in Chilean older adults. Cross-sectional study from the National Study of Dependence in Old Person 2010. The risk of depression was amount with Geriatric Depression Scale (>5). The social integration were quantity as frequency of meeting with close relatives (child, partner, daughter/ son-in-law, grandchildren); with other relatives (brother, brothers-in-law, nephews or other relatives) and with friends and neighbors in the last 12 months in 5 categories (never visit; less frequently; 1-2 times a month; 1-2 times a week; every day or almost). Logistic regression models considered the sampling design of the survey to identify association with odd ratio (OR) (never as reference category), adjustment for sex, age, ethnicity, household income, education, housing arrangement and chronic diseases (p ≤ 0,5). Total of 4179 older adults 25,3% reported risk of depression, the significative association with close relatives was in daily or almost frequency OR:0.42 (95%CI 0.27-0.67), 1-2 times a week OR: 0,57 (95%CI 0,33-0,99), 1-2 times/month OR: 0,56 (95%CI 0,99); other relatives were lower frequency OR: 0.54 (95%CI 0.38-0.78); 1-2 times/month OR; 0.50 (95%CI 0.31-0.81); 1-2 times/week OR:0.35 (95%CI 0.22-0.55); daily or almost OR:0.27 (95%CI 0.18-0.42). And meeting with friends and neighbors in the same frequency order were OR: 0.66 (95%CI 0.44-0.99); OR:0.43 (95%CI 0.26-0.73); OR:0.4 (95%CI 0.25-0.62); OR: 0.32 (95%CI 0.21-0.47). There is a negative gradient between depression and the frequency of meeting with friends, neighbors and family, independent of sociodemographic and health characteristics. Social integration must be promoted as a protective factor of mental health in elderly. Key messages Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in old age and we found a negative gradient between the frequency of meeting friends, neighbors and family and the possibility of depression. It seems essential for public health to have strategies that address social life in old age to strengthen quality of live and mental health.

scholarly journals Potential impact of physical distancing on physical and mental health: a rapid narrative umbrella review of meta-analyses on the link between social connection and health

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e042335
Author(s):  
Nexhmedin Morina ◽  
Ahlke Kip ◽  
Thole Hilko Hoppen ◽  
Stefan Priebe ◽  
Thomas Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Connection ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analyses

BackgroundThe imperative for physical distancing (mostly referred to as social distancing) during COVID-19 pandemic may deteriorate physical and mental health. We aimed at summarising the strength of evidence in the published literature on the association of physical and mental health with social connection via social isolation, living alone and loneliness.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search in April 2020 to identify meta-analyses using the Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The search strategy included terms of social isolation, loneliness, living alone and meta-analysis. Eligible meta-analyses needed to report any sort of association between an indicator of social connection and any physical or mental health outcome. The findings were summarised in a narrative synthesis.ResultsTwenty-five meta-analyses met our criteria, of which 10 focused on physical health and 15 on mental health outcomes. The results suggest that lack of social connection is associated with chronic physical symptoms, frailty, coronary heart disease, malnutrition, hospital readmission, reduced vaccine uptake, early mortality, depression, social anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment in later life and suicidal ideation.ConclusionsThe existing evidence clearly indicates that social connection is associated with a range of poor physical and mental health outcomes. A potential negative impact on these outcomes needs to be considered in future decisions on physical distancing measures.

25 Social Integration in the First 2 Years After Moderate to Severe Burn Injury: A Burn Model System National Database Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S19-S20
Author(s):  
Kara McMullen ◽  
Alyssa M Bamer ◽  
Nicole S Gibran ◽  
Radha K Holavanahalli ◽  
Jeffrey C Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Psychiatric Treatment ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Total Body Surface Area ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Burn Survivors ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Total Body

Abstract Introduction Feeling a part of community and participating in social life are important aspects of overall quality of life. Burn survivors consider community reintegration one of the most important issues affecting their recovery. Integration, including social integration, has been studied in this population, but longitudinal analyses to examine factors associated with successful integration are lacking. The current study aims to assess variables associated with social integration during the first two years post-burn. Methods Adult (18+ years) burn survivors enrolled in the Burn Model System national longitudinal database responded to questionnaires at hospital discharge and 6-, 12-, and 24-months postburn. Social integration was assessed at all follow-up timepoints using the Community Integration Questionnaire Social Integration Component Scale, which has a possible range of scores from 0 (no community integration) to 12 (excellent community integration). To examine variables associated with social integration over time, linear mixed effect models utilizing generalized least squares with maximum likelihood and robust standard errors were used. Independent variables in the model included age, sex, % total body surface area (TBSA) burned, race/ethnicity, living status at time of injury, facial burn, history of psychiatric treatment preburn, employment at follow-up assessment, and SF-12 or VR-12 mental health component scores at the time of each follow-up assessment. Results Data from 1,848 adult burn survivors were included in the analyses. Average age of the survivors was 42.9 years, 74.0% were male, 77.7% were white, 47.0% were married or living common-law with a partner, and mean total body surface area burned was 18.2%. Factors associated with better social integration over time included younger age, female sex, lower TBSA (< 40%) burn size, white/non-Hispanic race, no preburn psychiatric treatment, postburn employment, and better mental health. Time was not a significant predictor, indicating that social integration scores remain relatively stable over the 24-month follow-up period. Conclusions We identified several factors that contribute to greater social integration including age, gender, burn size, race/ethnicity, employment, and mental health, with the association between age, gender, and employment status and community integration a novel finding in this population. Applicability of Research to Practice This study suggests that while most factors associated with social integration are not modifiable, interventions aimed at improving mental health and helping burn survivors return to work could also improve self-reported social integration.

scholarly journals Anxiety of Older Persons Living Alone in the Community

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinna Yu ◽  
Kwisoon Choe ◽  
Youngmi Kang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Mental Health Problem ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Common Mental Health Problem

Anxiety is a common mental health problem among older persons, and the prevalence is higher in those who live alone than those who live with others. This study aimed to explore the experiences of anxiety in older persons living alone. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to collect and analyze the interview data from 15 older persons (5 males, 10 females) living alone in Seoul, South Korea. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: fear of being alone, concern about having an aged body, apprehension mixed with depression and loneliness, and fear of economic difficulties. These findings indicate that older persons living alone should receive continuous attention to prevent them from being neglected and their anxiety from worsening. Above all, it is vital to ensure comprehensive support for older persons living alone to alleviate their anxiety.

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