Feeling lonely when not socially isolated

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 1340-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeeun Lee ◽  
Young-gun Ko
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Informant Agreement ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Socially Isolated

Although it is widely acknowledged that people can feel lonely when not socially isolated, to our knowledge, no study has examined whether loneliness would be differently associated with daily social relations for people who are not socially isolated. The present study examined the role of social isolation (i.e., small social network size) in moderating the association between loneliness and characteristics of daily social interactions—interaction type and qualitative characteristics—using the 7-day social interaction diary data of 118 individuals. The moderating effect of social isolation on self-informant agreement in loneliness ratings was additionally examined, using three informant ratings of loneliness. Greater loneliness was more related to less frequency of strong tie interactions for people who are less socially isolated, while loneliness was more associated with greater self-focus during interactions for more socially isolated people. In addition, for those who are less socially isolated, the self-informant agreement in loneliness ratings was lower, suggesting that their loneliness might be underrecognized, even by those close to them. These results indicate that the relationships between loneliness and such social variables may operate differently depending upon the personal level of social isolation. In particular, our findings underscore the significant role of frequent interactions with close ties in alleviating the loneliness of people who are not socially isolated, suggesting that human social needs cannot be satisfied merely by a large number of social contacts.

scholarly journals Social Support, Isolation, Loneliness, and Health Among Older Adults in the PRISM Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Czaja ◽  
Jerad H. Moxley ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Social Connectivity ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Aging Adults

Objectives: Social isolation and loneliness are serious public health issues given the association with negative physical, mental; and cognitive health outcomes and increased risk for mortality. Due to changes in life circumstances many aging adults are socially isolated and experience loneliness. We examined the relationships among four correlated but distinct constructs: social network size, social support, social isolation, and loneliness as they relate to indices of health and wellbeing among diverse subpopulations of older adults. Guided by WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) we also examined factors that predict loneliness and social isolation.Methods: Analyses of baseline data from sample of older adults who participated in an intervention trial that examined the beneficial effects of a software system designed to support access to resources and information, and social connectivity. Participants included 300 individuals aged 65–98, who lived alone, were primarily of lower socio-economic status and ethnically diverse. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, self-report measures of health, depression, social network size, social support, and loneliness.Results: Loneliness was strongly associated with depression and self-ratings of health. In turn, greater social isolation and less social support were associated with greater loneliness. Social isolation was associated with depression and lower self-ratings of health. The association between social isolation and health was mediated by loneliness. Individuals in the older cohorts (80+) reported less social support. With respect to loneliness, having a smaller social network, more functional limitations, and limitations in engaging meaningful activities was associated with higher levels of loneliness and greater social isolation.Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of social connectively to wellbeing for older adults and suggest that those in the older cohorts, who have a small social network, and with greater physical and functional impairments may be particularly vulnerable to being socially isolated and lonely. The findings provide guidance for future interventions. In this regard, we discuss how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may be used to promote social connectivity and engagement. Strategies to make the usability and availability of these applications for aging adults are highlighted.

scholarly journals Social Networks and Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312098525
Author(s):  
Balazs Kovacs ◽  
Nicholas Caplan ◽  
Samuel Grob ◽  
Marissa King
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Network Data ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Network Data ◽  
Social Network Size

We utilize longitudinal social network data collected pre–COVID-19 in June 2019 and compare them with data collected in the midst of COVID in June 2020. We find significant decreases in network density and global network size following a period of profound social isolation. While there is an overall increase in loneliness during this era, certain social network characteristics of individuals are associated with smaller increases in loneliness. Specifically, we find that people with fewer than five “very close” relationships report increases in loneliness. We further find that face-to-face interactions, as well as the duration and frequency of interactions with very close ties, are associated with smaller increases in loneliness during the pandemic. We also report on factors that do not moderate the effect of social isolation on perceived loneliness, such as gender, age, or overall social network size.

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Old Age

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Tesch-Roemer ◽  
Oliver Huxhold
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Social Perceptions ◽  
Social Expectations ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Aging Persons

Social isolation refers to the objective lack of social integration. Loneliness, in contrast, refers to the perceived lack of social integration. Loneliness has serious consequences for the well-being of aging persons. Individuals who feel lonely tend to have poorer health, less autonomy, and lower subjective well-being than individuals who do not feel lonely. Lonely individuals even tend to become more socially isolated over time. While prevalence rates of social isolation increase with advancing age, only a minority of older people suffer from severe loneliness, however. Hence, loneliness is not necessarily a consequence of growing old, but rather, depends on specific risk factors (e.g., social needs, social expectations, resources, and competencies). Interventions therefore should be focused on these risk factors (unfulfilled social needs, unmet social perceptions, and lack of resources and competencies).

scholarly journals Więzi społeczne a zjawisko samotności i osamotnienia

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldona Żurek
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Analytical Category

In modern societies, the number of people who are socially isolated and experience constant feeling of loneliness is increasing. Main causes of this social isolation are associated with both inherent features of an individual and features of structures such as family and local community. An isolated person is a person who has limited number of significant others. Nevertheless, loneliness may also occur when a person is a part of a lot of social relations. The feeling of loneliness is therefore an individually experienced discomfort resulting from a subjective evaluation of the desired and the existing network of social relations. Both phenomena are threats to the welfare of individuals and at the same time are a challenge for organizations which are dealing with social policy. An analytical category which provides the diagnosis of loneliness and isolation is the social bond. The assessment of deficits associated with social bonds and can be performed measuring following criteria: quantity, quality and potency of the social bond.

scholarly journals Correlates of Social Isolation Among Minority Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 294-295
Author(s):  
Omolola Adepoju ◽  
Daniel Howard ◽  
Kendra Smith ◽  
Luz Herrera ◽  
Daikwon Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Main Independent Variable ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Community Supports

Abstract Background Over the past year, engagement with older adults has been severely curtailed given the high rates of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in this population. This study examined the correlates of social isolation among African American and LatinX older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Working with community-based organizations and senior living centers, we administered a survey to older adults 55+, in the Houston metroplex, between 11/2020 and 01/2021 (n=575). The survey assessed COVID-19 prevention behaviors and health-related social needs. Responses to “How often do you feel lonely or isolated from those around you?” were used to create a dichotomous social isolation dependent variable. The main independent variable, family/community support, was based on responses to the validated question "If for any reason you need help with day-to-day activities such as bathing, preparing meals, shopping, managing finances, etc., do you get the help you need?" Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for socioeconomic status, medical conditions, positive COVID test (for self or family), COVID-19 prevention behaviors, and emergency preparedness levels was used. Results Limited family/community support was strongly associated with social isolation (OR=6.2; p<0.01), as was having any chronic condition (OR=2.9, p=0.02). Females and seniors who reported daily social distancing were more likely to report being socially isolated (OR=2.4, p=0.04; OR=1.09; p=0.09, respectively). Of all chronic conditions examined, diabetes was the single strongest predictor of social isolation (OR=2.49, p=0.02). Conclusion Being female, having diabetes and limited family/community supports are associated with COVID-19-induced social isolation in African American and Latinx communities.

Postdiagnosis social networks and lifestyle and treatment mechanisms in the Ater Breast Cancer Pooling Project (ABCPP).

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (26_suppl) ◽  
pp. 115-115
Author(s):  
Candyce H. Kroenke ◽  
Yvonne Michael ◽  
Xiao-Ou Shu ◽  
Elizabeth Poole ◽  
Marilyn L. Kwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Cancer Survival ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Cancer Prognosis ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Network Diversity ◽  
Socially Isolated

115 Background: Larger social networks have been associated with better breast cancer survival. To investigate potential mediators, we evaluated associations of social network size and diversity with lifestyle and treatment factors associated with prognosis. Methods: We included 9,331 women from the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project who provided data on social networks within two years following diagnosis. A social network index was derived from information about the presence of a spouse or intimate partner, religious ties, community participation, friendship ties, and numbers of relatives. Diversity was assessed as variety of ties, independent of size. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations with outcomes and evaluated whether effect estimates differed using meta-analytic techniques. Results: Associations of social networks and outcomes generally did not differ by cohort. Because of the low prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption in the Shanghai cohort, however, analyses of smoking and alcohol included US cohorts only. Women who were socially isolated (small networks) were more likely to be obese (body mass index>30 kg/m2, OR=1.21, 95% CI:1.03-1.42) and have low physical activity (<10 MET-h/wk, OR=1.53, 95% CI:1.34-1.75) compared to socially integrated women. Women with low network diversity were more likely to be current smokers (OR=3.68, 95% CI:2.19-6.19) and have high alcohol consumption (>15 g/d alcohol, OR=2.43, 95% CI:1.60-3.69). Among node positive cases, socially isolated women were more likely not to receive chemotherapy (OR=1.52, 95% CI:1.03-2.25). By contrast, low network diversity, but not social network size, was associated with greater odds of not receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy (OR=1.52, 95% CI:1.03-2.23). Associations with surgery were nonsignificant. Conclusions: In a large pooled cohort, small, less diverse social networks measured post-diagnosis were associated with more adverse lifestyle factors and less intensive cancer treatment, which may help to explain poorer breast cancer prognosis in socially isolated women.

Volunteering benefits life satisfaction over 4 years: The moderating role of social network size

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da Jiang ◽  
Diane Hosking ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Moderating Role

Mental Health among Older Adults with Caregiving Needs: The Role of Social Networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-167
Author(s):  
Fengyan Tang ◽  
Heejung Jang ◽  
Elizabeth A Mulvaney ◽  
Jane Seoyoon Lee ◽  
Donald Musa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Informal Social Support ◽  
Social Network Size

Abstract A major challenge facing an aging society is the increased caregiving needs among community-dwelling older adults with chronic conditions. Reliance on social relations may help address caregiving needs and maintain older adults’ mental well-being. This study examines the roles of different aspects of social relations—social network size, social support, and service use—in the association between caregiving needs and mental health status (MHS). Using a sample of adults age 55 and over in an urban setting, authors tested the direct, mediation, and moderation effects models of social relations. Structural equation modeling was applied and latent variables of caregiving needs, MHS, and social network size were identified. Results showed that caregiving needs and informal social support (that is, network size, positive support, and negative strain) were directly related to MHS and that informal social support partially mediated the negative effect of caregiving needs on MHS; by contrast, service use moderated the association, indicating that those with caregiving needs who used more services were in better MHS than their counterparts with less service use. Findings point to the importance of social work interventions aimed at improving social relations and enhancing awareness and access to social services.

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