Loneliness and Social Connections: A National Survey of Adults 45 and Older: Dataset

Abstract

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Re-envisioning Digital Equity and Connection Literacy for Older Adults

“…According to the National Institute on Aging, 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older is socially isolated [11]. Aging adults are a high-risk group for social isolation and loneliness, a leading indicator of which is the size and diversity of a person's social network [12,13]. Compared to other populations, older adults have smaller social circles because of a variety of factors including deaths of family and friends, retirement, declining health, mobility challenges, social isolation, and perceptions of loneliness [14].…”

Opportunities and Barriers to Healthy Aging in North Carolina

“…People who are lonely and socially isolated are more likely to have health problems, which can have serious financial implications. According to a 2018 study by the AARP Foundation, social isolation among midlife and older adults is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending annually [6].…”

“Alone, there is nobody”: A qualitative study of the lived experience of loneliness in older men living with HIV

“…Of note, many of the hobbies the participants described were individual pursuits, which potentially protected them from experiencing rejection or more stigma. Although, research suggests that chronically lonely individuals to tend to turn to individual activities to cope, paradoxically maintaining the loneliness [8], even the "selfabsorbed" interests of participants offset depression. In fact, personal interests that a participant "lives for" connected him to a "we" in public (i.e.…”

“…This pattern is not surprising as, since the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy, more adults with HIV now live into old age which is itself associated with a high prevalence of loneliness [4]. In fact, earlier research identified loneliness as a frequent source of emotional distress that negatively affects quality of life among people living with HIV [5,6], with 57% of HIV-positive adults over the age of 50 experiencing loneliness [7] compared to 35% of adults over the age of 45 in the United States [8]. Thus, understanding and addressing loneliness in those aging with HIV could improve quality of life, an important treatment target reflective of person-centred chronic care [9], overall health in general, and extend lifespan for persons living with HIV [7].…”