Loneliness in Later Life and Reaching Longevity: Findings From the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

Abstract

Objectives There is an increasing research interest in factors that characterize those who reach exceptionally old ages. Although loneliness is often associated with an increased risk for premature mortality, its relationship with reaching longevity is still unclear. We aimed to quantify the association between (social/emotional) loneliness and the likelihood of reaching the age of 90 years in men and women separately. Methods For these analyses, data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) was used. Loneliness, social loneliness and emotional loneliness were assessed at baseline using the 11-item De Jong-Gierveld scale in 1992-93 (at age 64-85 years). Follow-up for vital status information until the age of 90 years was 99.5% complete. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression analyses with a fixed follow-up time were based on 1,032 men and 1,078 women to calculate Risk Ratios (RR) of reaching 90 years. Results No significant associations were observed between loneliness and reaching 90 years in both men (RR,0.90; 95%CI,0.70-1.14) and women (RR,0.98; 95%CI,0.83-1.14). Social loneliness was significantly associated with a reduced chance of reaching 90 years in women (RR,0.82; 95%CI,0.67-0.99). Discussion The current analyses, did not show support for the existence of a meaningful effect of loneliness on reaching longevity in both sexes. When investigating specific dimensions of loneliness, we observed that reporting social loneliness was associated with reaching 90 years in women. This indicates that, for women, a large and diverse personal network at an older age could increase the probability of reaching longevity. However, replication of our findings in other cohorts is needed.

Loneliness in Aging Adults: A Narrative Review

“…Reaching 90 years of age was negatively correlated with social loneliness in a longitudinal study from Amsterdam on 64-90-year-old men and women (N=2,080) (Brandts et al, 2021). Greater morbidity and mortality have been associated with loneliness.…”

Social and emotional loneliness in a large sample of Dutch adults aged 19-65: Associations with risk factors

“…A distinction can be made between emotional loneliness, the feeling of missing an intimate relationship, and social loneliness, the feeling of missing a wider social network (Weiss, 1973). The distinction was later confirmed by studies that have shown that social and emotional loneliness were only moderately correlated (Dahlberg & McKee, 2014), were present in latent class analyses (Hyland et al, 2018), and were differently associated with risk factors and a variety of physical and mental health outcomes (Brandts et al, 2020;Dahlberg & McKee, 2014;Diehl et al, 2018;Hyland et al, 2018;McHugh Power et al, 2018;Nieboer et al, 2020;OʼSúilleabháin et al, 2019;Peerenboom et al, 2015). Regarding risk factors, social loneliness has been associated with, e.g., low physical activity, immigrant background, and male gender (Dahlberg & McKee, 2014;Diehl et al, 2018), while emotional loneliness has been associated with, e.g., not being in a committed relationship, neuroticism and non-receipt of informal care (Dahlberg & McKee, 2014;Diehl et al, 2018;Nieboer et al, 2020;Peerenboom et al, 2015).…”

Individual differences among older adults with mild and moderate dementia in social and emotional loneliness and their associations with cognitive and psychological functioning

“…Emotional loneliness, but not social isolation or perceived social support, is associated with a greater risk of developing dementia [22], although perceived social support seems to protect against dementia in men [23]. Researchers have found social loneliness, but not the emotional facet, to be associated with longevity in women [24], whereas emotional loneliness is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in older adults living alone [25]. Some evidence suggests that emotional loneliness, and not the perceived quantity of interpersonal connections, is more likely associated with the risk of depression and poor mental health (psychological distress) [26,27].…”