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Loneliness and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling elderly Singaporeans

Author

Listed:
  • Angelique Chan

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Prassanna Raman

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Rahul Malhotra

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Stefan Ma

    (Ministry of Health, Singapore)

Abstract

Background: Loneliness is a significant risk factor for mortality among older adults. There are several pathways through which loneliness may operate to increase mortality risk, ranging from biological responses and individual perceptions to social interactions and environmental factors. The proportion of single older (65+) person households has doubled in the last ten years in Singapore. Yet little is understood about the relationship between loneliness, social isolation, and mortality risk among older adults, in Singapore and in Asian contexts in general. Objective: To assess the impact of loneliness and social isolation on the risk of all-cause mortality over a four-year period, controlling for demographic characteristics and health status at baseline. Methods: We used data from a longitudinal survey of community-dwelling Singaporean elderly (N=4,522). Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA three-item loneliness scale. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate mortality risk. Results: In the final adjusted model, living arrangements and social networks outside the household were not associated with all-cause mortality. Loneliness increased the risk of all-cause mortality; those sometimes lonely and mostly lonely were 44.0% (p=0.005) and 39.0% (p=0.059) more likely to die compared to those not lonely. Conclusions: Loneliness is associated with higher mortality risks among Singaporean elderly. Mental health among the older population is a major public health concern and community interventions are needed to more efficiently identify, raise awareness of, and increase care for the lonely elderly in the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelique Chan & Prassanna Raman & Rahul Malhotra & Stefan Ma, 2015. "Loneliness and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling elderly Singaporeans," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(49), pages 1361-1382.
  • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:32:y:2015:i:49
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2015.32.49
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lixia Ge & Chun Wei Yap & Reuben Ong & Bee Hoon Heng, 2017. "Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Sunwoong Yoon & Kyusang Kwon, 2024. "Spatial Distribution and Influencing Factors of Single-Person Households with Social Isolation in Seoul, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Jeremy Holloway & Owais Sayeed & Donald Jurivich, 2023. "Tellegacy: An Intergenerational Wellness and Health Promotion Project to Reduce Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: A Feasibility Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Anna Wong & Anson K. C. Chau & Yang Fang & Jean Woo, 2017. "Illuminating the Psychological Experience of Elderly Loneliness from a Societal Perspective: A Qualitative Study of Alienation between Older People and Society," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Wei-Jun Jean Yeung & Adam Ka-Lok Cheung, 2015. "Living Alone," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(40), pages 1099-1112.
    6. Yen Sin Koh & Gerald Choon-Huat Koh & David Bruce Matchar & Song-Iee Hong & Bee Choo Tai, 2021. "Examining the Influence of Social Interactions and Community Resources on Caregivers’ Burden in Stroke Settings: A Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Cristina Giudici & Silvia Polettini & Alessandra Rose & Nicolas Brouard, 2019. "Which Aspects of Elderly Living Conditions are Important to Predict Mortality? The Complex Role of Family Ties at Home and in Institutions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 1255-1283, April.
    8. Emiko Takagi & Yasuhiko Saito & Angelique Chan, 2020. "Gender differences in the association between social relationships and loneliness among older adults in Singapore," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 243-263, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    loneliness; living alone; elderly; Asia; social networks; Singapore; social isolation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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