Journal
SOCIAL WORK IN PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 36, Issue 2, Pages 128-141Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/19371918.2020.1866140
Keywords
Loneliness; emotional loneliness; social loneliness; social isolation; older adults; public health emergency
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Loneliness has a significant impact on the health and well-being of older adults, with social isolation, phone contact, and quality of contact with others being key factors influencing loneliness and emotional loneliness. Therefore, prioritizing social connections and building social support are crucial, especially in the current context of social distancing.
Loneliness has a significant impact on the health and well-being of older people, including an increased risk of mortality. This cross-sectional study explored possible risk and protective factors that can help explain loneliness and emotional and social loneliness in a sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 477). The survey incorporated a standardized scale of loneliness and items to assess type and quality of contact with others, community support, social isolation, physical health, cognitive health, and functional ability. Bivariate and multivariate analyses explored the factors that contributed to loneliness, emotional loneliness, and social loneliness. Results indicated overall quality of contact with others, use of phone contact, and social isolation was significant in all three regressions; other significant variables were different for each analysis. The findings support social work and public health recommendations for addressing loneliness, particularly within the current climate of social distancing under the COVID-19 pandemic.
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