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Typologies of loneliness, living alone and social isolation, and their associations with physical and mental health
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Abstract The relationship between living alone, loneliness and social isolation, and how they are associated with health remain contentious. We sought to explore typologies based on shared experiences of loneliness, social isolation and living alone using Latent Class Analysis and determine how these groups may differ in terms of their physical and mental health. We used Wave 7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 7,032; mean age = 67.3) and responses to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale, household composition, participation in social/societal activities plus frequency of contact with friends, family and relatives for the Latent Class Analysis. The optimal number of groups was identified using model-fit criteria. The socio-demographic characteristics of groups and health outcomes were explored using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. We identified a six-cluster typology: Group 1, no loneliness or isolation; Group 2, moderate loneliness; Group 3, living alone; Group 4, moderate isolation; Group 5, moderate loneliness, living alone; and Group 6, high loneliness, moderate isolation (with high likelihood of living alone). Groups experiencing loneliness and/or isolation were more likely to report poorer physical and mental health even after adjusting for socio-demographic confounders, this was particularly notable for Group 6. Our results indicate that different typologies of living alone, loneliness and isolation can be identified using data-driven techniques, and can be differentiated by the number and severity of issues they experience.
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“In between these two extremes were four groups that experienced either social isolation or loneliness. These groups were also more likely to have physical and mental health problems compared to the majority group.”
From Examining social isolation and loneliness in combination in relation to social support and psychological distress using Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) data (2020) · cites this paper as [45]
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“The neither socially isolated nor lonely group was younger and had a higher household income than the other groups, similar to Smith and Victor’s findings [45]”
From Examining social isolation and loneliness in combination in relation to social support and psychological distress using Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) data (2020) · cites this paper as [45]
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“They are also in line with results by Smith and Victor [45].”
From Examining social isolation and loneliness in combination in relation to social support and psychological distress using Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) data (2020) · cites this paper as Smith and Victor [45]
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“Recently, Smith and Victor [45], using clustering analyses based on measures of social isolation, loneliness and living alone, found six groups of people. The largest group (47% of the sample) experienced no loneliness or social isolation. This group also had the least physical health problems and depressive symptoms.”
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“On the opposite side of the spectrum, a small proportion (4%) of the sample were both lonely and socially isolated and had a substantially increased likelihood of physical and mental health problems, relative to the majority group.”
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“The socially isolated and lonely group was clearly the most at risk group, as expected, consistent with previous research [18,45].”
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“Similarly, older adults who experience both social isolation and loneliness have been found to report poorer health quality, with worse depressive symptoms and a higher number of comorbidities (8, 48–50).”
From The impact of COVID-19 infection and enforced prolonged social isolation on neuropsychiatric symptoms in older adults with and without dementia: A review (2020) · cites this paper as [49]
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Metadata
- Authors
- SMITH, K. J., & VICTOR, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Surrey (GB)
- Brunel University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- SMITH, KIMBERLEY J.
- Venue
- Ageing and Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2018-04-10
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1709-1730
- ISSN
- 0144-686X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-1779
- OpenAlex
- W2785718018
- Cited by
- 337
- References
- 78
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 26.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Ageing and Society (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
- Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
- Keywords
- loneliness, social isolation, living alone, typology, older adults, physical health, mental health, social networks, household composition, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
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