Associations between parental bonding, social isolation and loneliness: do associations persist in later life and is isolation a mediator between parental bonding and loneliness?

Abstract

Background Poor parental bonding in childhood has been associated with loneliness in younger populations. Whether these associations persists into middle and older adulthood is unclear. Additionally, given the overlapping relationship between loneliness and social isolation we sought to explore the role of social isolation in any associations present i.e. are those reporting worse parental bonding lonely due to less connections or are they more likely to be lonely regardless of isolation. Methods Analysis of a nationally representative longitudinal sample of adults aged 50 and over from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing was undertaken. The current analysis was based on data for core participants across waves 3[2006/7] to 8[2016/17] with missing data across waves leading to analytical samples ranging from 4384 to 5173. Multivariate adjusted multinomial regression models were used to assess associations between parental bonding [PBI], isolation [score derived from data on living alone, frequency of contact with friends, family and children, and whether or not participate in social organisations] and loneliness [R-UCLA]. Results Parental bonding scores were associated with later life loneliness according to overall PBI score [RRR .93 95%CI .92-.95], care [RRR .90 95%CI .88-.92] and overprotection [RRR 1.11 95%CI 1.08–1.14] subscale scores as well as when separated into maternal and paternal scores, with effects larger in relation to chronic loneliness. Parental bonding scores were also associated with isolation in later life, with the exception of maternal overprotection which was non-significant. The addition of isolation to the loneliness models however had no impact on associations indicating that isolation is not a mediator of the association between parental bonding and later life loneliness. Conclusions Associations between parental bonding and loneliness do persist into middle and older adulthood and were in line with hypothesis stronger for more chronic loneliness. Isolation did not explain these associations and those reporting more negative parental bonds were more likely to be lonely regardless of isolation.

The Long Arm of Childhood Bullying Victimization: Associations with Social Isolation, Gender Differences and Depression in Later Life

“…Moreover, in accordance with several similar studies that have confirmed the associations between adverse childhood experiences and psychological wellbeing among young or older adults (Burns et al, 2022; Vederhus et al, 2022), the current results show that childhood bullying victimization significantly increases the possibility for middle and older adults to be trapped in social isolation, further improving their levels of depression. Specifically, exposure to childhood bullying victimization blocks the initial reserve of individuals’ interpersonal abilities at the early stage (Barile et al, 2015), causing them unable to obtain sufficient and high-quality social relationships to maintain mental health in the future (Uchino et al, 1996), and also damages their stress response regulation systems (Subramaniam et al, 2020), further forming stable negative coping strategies of avoidance and withdrawal (Bjereld, 2018), which is unfavorable for them to get out of the state of social isolation (Nicholson, 2012).…”

“…In the Chinese context, this issue is particularly pronounced due to the widespread phenomenon of “empty-nest elderly” resulting from rapid societal changes (Tang et al, 2021), which refers to the social phenomenon wherein adult children or grandchildren migrate from rural to urban areas or from the Midwest to the East of China for work or education, leaving their elderly parents or grandparents living alone. While previous research has predominantly focused on the association between functional health (e.g., cognitive function and physical function) on middle and older adults’ social isolation (Luo et al, 2021), emerging evidence suggests that childhood bullying victimization may also play a role in predicting social isolation in later life (Burns et al, 2022; Vederhus et al, 2022).…”

Attributions of Loneliness—Life Story Interviews with Older Mental Health Service Users

“…While bereavement or loss is understudied in relation to loneliness in younger people, quantitative studies have noted associations between loneliness and parental bonding in adolescents, university students, and young adults up to the age of 31 [43][44][45] and even among older adults aged 50 and over [46], which supports the identification of this theme in the current study in relation to those who were chronically lonely throughout life (group one). We noted, however, that the absence of a parent alone was not universally predictive of chronic loneliness.…”

Contemporary Hermits: A Developmental Psychopathology Account of Extreme Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) in Young People

“…In the psychological literature, parental overprotection has been mainly linked to anxiety disorders (e.g., Van der Bruggen et al, 2008 ), but it is obvious how overprotection could also be involved in ESW, as this type of parenting is likely to promote dependency and hinder the young person to function separately from his/her parents. Interestingly, there is some support for the notion that overprotection is associated with social isolation and loneliness, which can be regarded as proxies of ESW (Burns et al, 2022 ).…”