Effects of transient and chronic loneliness on major depression in older adults: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Objectives: The number of older adults is rapidly rising globally. Loneliness is a common problem that can deteriorate health. The aims of this work were to identify different types of loneliness (transient and chronic) and to assess their association with depression over time. Methods: A nationally representative sample from the Spanish population comprising 1190 individuals aged 50+ years was interviewed on three evaluations over a 7-year period. The UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to measure loneliness. While chronic loneliness was defined as the presence of loneliness across all three waves, transient loneliness expressed the presence of loneliness in one wave only. A 12-month major depressive episode was assessed at each interview. After confirming the crosssectional relationship, a multilevel mixed-effects model was used to examine the association between loneliness and depression. Results: Almost a quarter of individuals felt lonely and one out of 10 presented depression at baseline. Of the sample, 22.78% showed transient loneliness, while 6.72% presented the chronic type. People experiencing chronic loneliness were at a higher risk of presenting major depression (OR = 6.11; 95% CI = 2.62, 14.22) than those presenting transient loneliness (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.19, 4.14). This association varied over time and was stronger at the first follow-up than at the second one. Conclusions: Focusing on loneliness prevention could reduce the risk of depression. Chronic loneliness is a public health problem that should be addressed through the full participation of the political, social, and medical sectors.

The effect of loneliness and social support on the course of major depressive disorder among adults aged 50 years and older: A longitudinal study

“…can increase the risk of experiencing loneliness and depression (Mikkelsen et al, 2019), whereas the availability of social support and the quality of the existing relationships may promote emotional well-being and act as a mental health protector (Santini et al, 2016). Moreover, this could partly explain previous findings on the differences between transient and chronic loneliness as risk factors for MDD (Martín-María et al, 2020).…”

The Relationship Between Loneliness and Psychological Adjustment: Validation of the Italian Version of the Interpersonal Acceptance–Rejection Loneliness Scale

“…There are a number of studies that have highlighted that loneliness influences the daily life and the general life satisfaction of individuals who experience it (Mellor et al, 2008 ; Demeter and Rad, 2020 ) and that individuals distressed by loneliness have an increased likelihood of psychological and health problems than individuals with satisfactory interpersonal relationships (Heinrich and Gullone, 2006 ; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ; Richardson et al, 2017 ; Menec et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ). In particular, loneliness has been linked to a variety of negative outcomes, such as the risk of sleep disorders (Griffin et al, 2020 ), eating disorders (Fox, 2020 ), Internet addiction (Mazuz and Yom-Tov, 2020 ), alcohol consumption, gambling (Savolainen et al, 2020 ), cognitive decline (Sutin et al, 2020 ), depression, suicide (Martín María et al, 2021 ), and psychotic symptoms (Ludwig et al, 2020 ). Researchers investigating the role of gender and age as possible vulnerability factors found mixed results (Barreto et al, 2020 ; Shovestul et al, 2020 ).…”

Predictors of depression amongst older adults with acute coronary syndrome seeking emergency care

“…This particular finding is consistent with the findings of many other studies that provided evidence that loneliness is a risk factor for mental decline and the progression of cardiovascular, autoimmune, neurocognitive, and mental health problems 35 and major depression. 36 The restrictions on social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased loneliness amongst older adults and placed them at a greater risk of depression and anxiety. 37 Furthermore, it has been shown that older adults TA B L E 2 Bivariate analysis of the associations between demographic and health variables of participants and depression amongst older adults with ACS seeking for emergency help (N = 300) who suffer from loneliness may require more advanced medical interventions than older adults who do not suffer from loneliness.…”