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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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“On how social isolation can affect health, ample evidence suggests that socially deprived have less access to supportive factors, such as information and emotional support (79), which may affect their ability to active cope with stresses (43, 79), control over life, and self-esteem (79, 81).”
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BackgroundMethodEnjoying the golden years: social participation and life satisfaction among Chinese older adults
Wu, M., Yang, D., & Tian, Y. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1377869 · Cited by 32
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“…literature to outline specific strategies for fostering more adaptive beliefs about solitude (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, mindfulness) and discuss the potential benefits and challenges of implementing such interventions in different contexts (e.g., schools, workplaces, retirement communities).”
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“Previous studies have often focused on social isolation as a discrete event rather than a cumulative one, overlooking how the prolonged lack of social engagement can lead to deeper disadvantages (Cornwell and Waite 2009).”
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“This often results in social isolation which has been linked to morbidity and mortality [91].”
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“In this article, social engagement is defined in terms of the continuum of social connectedness ranging from frequent and diverse social activities to more solitary and socially disconnected ones (Cornwell & Waite, 2009; Fingerman et al., 2019; Johnston, 2018).”
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“Social networks provide social support, which research shows to be a determinant of health and successful aging (e.g., Cornwell and Waite 2009; Kushner et al. 2013; Thoits 2011).”
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“Extensive research prior to COVID-19 has revealed negative effects of social isolation and perceived loneliness in older adults on mental health (Heikkinen and Kauppinen, 2004; Cornwell and Waite, 2009; Santini et al., 2020), physical health (Shankar et al.”
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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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