The DOI matches its Crossref record; 89 of the 89 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults
Open accessAbstract
Previous research has identified a wide range of indicators of social isolation that pose health risks, including living alone, having a small social network, infrequent participation in social activities, and feelings of loneliness. However, multiple forms of isolation are rarely studied together, making it difficult to determine which aspects of isolation are most deleterious for health. Using population-based data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we combine multiple indicators of social isolation into scales assessing social disconnectedness (e.g., small social network, infrequent participation in social activities) and perceived isolation (e.g., loneliness, perceived lack of social support). We examine the extent to which social disconnectedness and perceived isolation have distinct associations with physical and mental health among older adults. Results indicate that social disconnectedness and perceived isolation are independently associated with lower levels of self-rated physical health. However, the association between disconnectedness and mental health may operate through the strong relationship between perceived isolation and mental health. We conclude that health researchers need to consider social disconnectedness and perceived isolation simultaneously.
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“Further, rates of social isolation increase in later life (Cornwell & Waite, 2009)”
From The relationship between social media use and psychosocial outcomes in older adults: A systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as Cornwell & Waite, 2009
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“which is more common in older age (Cornwell and Waite, 2009)”
From Older Adults Perceptions of Technology and Barriers to Interacting with Tablet Computers: A Focus Group Study (2017) · cites this paper as Cornwell and Waite, 2009
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“Social isolation and loneliness are prevalent in older adults and are detrimental to physical and mental health.”
From The relationship between social media use and psychosocial outcomes in older adults: A systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as Cornwell & Waite, 2009
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“That the two concept are distinct is supported by several studies that show that they are only weakly correlated with each other [18–21].”
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“poor self-rated physical health [22]”
From Interventions targeting social isolation in older people: a systematic review (2011) · cites this paper as [22]
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“Having a range of good social connections has been identified as an important aspect of successful ageing [12] and is associated with lower mortality rates [13, 14], better health outcomes [15, 16], and higher reported wellbeing [17, 18] and quality of life [19, 20].”
From Social isolation, cognitive reserve, and cognition in healthy older people (2018) · cites this paper as [15]
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Cites
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“Frequency of contact with network members is lowest among the middle-old (Cornwell et al. 2008), and loneliness is greatest among middle-aged adults (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, and Charles 1999).”
BERKMAN, L. F., & SYME, S. L. (1979) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112674 · Cited by 5,341
The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years
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A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large Surveys: Results From Two Population-Based Studies
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027504268574 · Cited by 4,781
Self-citationSocial Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action
Lin, N. (2001) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511815447 · Cited by 4,535
Social capital a theory of social structure and action
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
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Zhou, M., Cheng, Z., Sabran, K., & Zahari, Z. A. (2024) · Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology · doi:10.1080/17483107.2023.2294988 · Cited by 10
Younes, R. S., Ziade, C., Moukarzel, C., & Abboud Mzawak, M. (2026) · Social Sciences · doi:10.3390/socsci15080497 · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Cornwell, E. Y., & Waite, L. J.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cornwell, Erin York
- Venue
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-03
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 31-48
- ISSN
- 0022-1465 (ISSN-L)
- 2150-6000
- PMC
- PMC2756979
- OpenAlex
- W2139540989
- Semantic Scholar
- b09a0f39d727ce3be1b30fa1719605734d92461e
- Cited by
- 2,027
- References
- 88
- Citations by year
- 2026: 152 · 2025: 136 · 2024: 140 · 2023: 156 · 2022: 167 · 2021: 211 · 2020: 217 · 2019: 171 · 2018: 151 · 2017: 114 · 2016: 97 · 2015: 84 · 2014: 69 · 2013: 67 · 2012: 40
- FWCI
- 32.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (T32 AG000243, R01AG021487)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- disconnection, perceived isolation, social isolation, loneliness, social support, older adults, physical health, mental health, social network size, social participation (health and rehabilitation), self-rated health
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Social Isolation, Social Support, United States, Logistic Models, Least-Squares Analysis
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