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Cited by 180Health disparities and outcomesCOVID-19 and Mental HealthHealth and Well-being Studies

Age differences in demographic, social and health-related factors associated with loneliness across the adult life span (19–65 years): a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands

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Franssen, Thanée, Stijnen, Mandy, Hamers, Femke, Schneider, Francine·2020·BMC Public Health
DOI 10.1186/s12889-020-09208-0PMC PMC7409622
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Abstract

Background: Recognition of loneliness as a health concern among adults stresses the need to understand the factors associated with loneliness. Research into factors of influence in the various phases of the adult life span (19–65 years) is scarce. Therefore, the associations between demographic, social and health-related factors and loneliness among young (19–34 years), early middle-aged (35–49 years) and late middle-aged adults (50–65 years) were explored. Methods: A secondary analysis with a large cross-sectional dataset was performed. Data was collected from September to December 2016 in the Netherlands, by a self-report survey. Loneliness was measured using the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale. In total, 26,342 adults (19–65 years) participated (response rate: 34%). Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between demographic, social and health-related factors as independent variables, and loneliness as dependent variable among the three age groups. Results: Prevalence of loneliness among young, early and late middle-aged adults was 39.7, 43.3 and 48.2%, respectively. Living alone, frequency of neighbour contact, perceived social exclusion, psychological distress, psychological and emotional wellbeing were consistently associated with loneliness across the groups. The association between ethnicity and loneliness was stronger among young and early middle-aged adults, compared to late middle-aged adults. Young adults showed the strongest association between contact frequency with friends and loneliness. The strength of association between financial imbalance and loneliness gradually decreased from young to late middle-aged adults. Educational level was associated with loneliness among young adults only, while an association between employment status and loneliness was found solely among early middle-aged adults. For late middle-aged adults only, perceived health was associated with loneliness. Frequency of family contact was associated with loneliness, only among early and late middle-aged adults. Conclusion: This study indicates that factors associated with loneliness across the adult life span may be understood from an age-normative life-stage perspective. Accordingly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to reduce loneliness among adults, suggesting that a variety of interventions or an indirect approach may be necessary. Future research should focus on causal relations between factors and loneliness in different age groups, using a longitudinal research-design with, preferably, an even broader set of factors.

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  • Adolescence is a phase of major biological, psychological, social, and cognitive transitions, making adolescents more vulnerable to loneliness than those in later life stages.

    “Adolescence is a phase of major biological, psychological, social, and cognitive transitions, making adolescents more vulnerable to loneliness than those in later life stages [22, 23]”

    From The prospective association of adolescent loneliness and low resilience with anxiety and depression in young adulthood: The HUNT study (2025) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Background (page not specified) links loneliness to age-specific life goals and transitions, which supports the general life-stage framing. But the study examines adults aged 19–65, not adolescents, and does not establish that biological, psychological, social and cognitive transitions make adolescents lonelier than people in later life stages. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Sorted by citations

Authors
Franssen, T., Stijnen, M., Hamers, F., & Schneider, F.
Affiliations
Maastricht University (NL)
Corresponding author
Franssen, Thanée
ORCID
Venue
BMC Public Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-08-06
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
1118-1118
ISSN
1471-2458 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12889-020-09208-0
PMC
PMC7409622
OpenAlex
W3047227658
Cited by
180
References
17
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 1
FWCI
11.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
Keywords
loneliness, adult lifespan, age differences, young adults, middle-aged adults, living alone, social exclusion, psychological distress, well-being, financial imbalances, family contact, ethnicity, employment status, educational attainment, health perception
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Demography, Emotions, Employment, Female, Health Status, Humans, Loneliness, Longevity, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Netherlands, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Support, Friends, Young Adult, Self Report

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