Social isolation and loneliness as related to progression and reversion of frailty in the Survey of Health Aging Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Jarach, Carlotta Micaela; Tettamanti, Mauro; Nobili, Alessandro; D’Avanzo, Barbara

doi:10.1093/ageing/afaa168

Cited by 53 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Social isolation was an in uential factor in the worsening transition between the stages of frailty. These results are similar to those of previous studies [21][22][23]34]. However, previous studies had limitations in that the multidimensionality of social isolation was not considered and the in uence on each step of transition between the stages of frailty could not be analyzed.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Factors Influencing the Stages of Frailty among Korean Older Adults Focusing on Objective and Subjective Social Isolation

Han

Jang

2021

Preprint

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Background: Although many studies have investigated the factors influencing frailty, studies on factors affecting transition between frailty stages are insufficient. This study was conducted to identify factors influencing the stages of frailty in Korean older adults, focusing on objective and subjective social isolation. Methods: This study analyzed the data of 10,041 older adults from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. Two multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors influencing the frailty stages.Results: Among Korean older adults, 6% were in a frail stage, and 42.5% were in the pre-frail stage. The progression to the pre-frail stage was influenced by sociodemographic and health-related characteristics and by objective and subjective social isolation. Contrastingly, the transition from the pre-frail to frail stage was influenced by factors including objective social isolation, declining hearing, and lack of regular exercise.Conclusions: In the development of future interventions, researchers should consider differences in factors that influence the stages of frailty among Korean older adults. Interventions that help older people maintain existing social relationships or connect to new social networks can delay the transition from the pre-frail to frail stages.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Factors Influencing the Stages of Frailty among Korean Older Adults Focusing on Objective and Subjective Social Isolation

Han

Jang

2021

Preprint

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“…High adherence to self-isolation recommendations, combined with a decrease in physical contact with loved ones, puts older adults at risk of social isolation. Social isolation presents a major modern-day challenge and has been associated with several negative health outcomes, such as depression [19], frailty [20], cognitive decline [21] and low quality of life [22,23].…”

Section: Interpretation Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 collateral damage: psychological distress and behavioral changes among older adults during the first outbreak in Stockholm, Sweden

Beridze

Triolo

Grande

et al. 2021

Preprint

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IntroductionDuring the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swedish public health authorities provided recommendations for 70+ year old people. They were strongly encouraged to self-isolate but remain physically active in a safe manner. This study aimed to explore the indirect, negative effects of COVID-19 restrictions (collateral damage) by exploring to what extent adherence to such recommendations might have impacted the lives and health of older adults living in central Stockholm.MethodsAn ad-hoc phone questionnaire was administered by trained staff between May and June 2020 to a random sample of older adults 68+ years old (n=1231), who had attended the regular follow-up assessment of the longitudinal Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) during 2016-2019. We explored three dimensions of collateral damage, namely psychological distress (feelings of worry, stress and loneliness), reductions in social and physical activities, and reductions in medical and social care use. Logistic regression models were used to test the association between age, sex, education and living arrangement, and the risk of collateral damage.ResultsVast majority of participants adhered to the recommendations, with over three quarters practicing self-isolation (n=928). Half of the sample reported psychological distress, 55.3% reported reductions in social or physical activity, and 11.3% reported decreased medical or social care use. Over three quarters of participants were affected by at least one of the three collateral damage dimensions. Female sex was the strongest sociodemographic predictor of individual as well as co-occurring dimensions of collateral damage.ConclusionCOVID-19 and its restrictions during the first half of 2020 have had a negative effect on the health and lives of a majority of elderly living in central Stockholm. Women were at a particularly higher risk of these negative consequences. We emphasize the need for predefined, evidence-based interventions to address these negative consequences.STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDYThis study uses a large sample of older adults from a well-characterized population-based study (SNAC-K)Several dimensions of the indirect, negative effects (collateral damage) of the COVID-19 pandemic are explored in this studyAs Sweden’s response to COVID-19 differed from most countries, this study provides a unique opportunity of comparison with other settingsThe cross-sectional design of this study does not allow to establish temporality between the onset of the pandemic and studied outcomesThe results of this study may not be generalisable to the entire elderly population in Sweden as participants are from an urban, affluent area in Stockholm

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“…Loneliness was measured at wave 6 using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale, which is a short version of the Revised-University of California, Los Angeles (R-UCLA) Loneliness Scale [25]. It is one of the most commonly used measures of loneliness among older adults [6] and has previously been used to make cross-national comparisons in SHARE [26][27][28][29]. The three items of the questionnaire (How much of the time do you feel lack of companionship?, How much of the time do you feel left out?…”

Section: Exposure Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe

Beridze

Ayala

Ribeiro

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Purpose: Loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on health in old age; however, the prospective associations with quality of life (QoL) remain unclear. Furthermore, despite the existence of a European north-south gradient in the distribution of loneliness and social isolation, little is known whether the associations are context-specific. We investigated the relationships between loneliness, social isolation and QoL of older adults residing in the North (Sweden) and South (Spain) of Europe. Methods: Study sample consisted of 2995 Swedish and 4154 Spanish older adults who participated in waves six and seven of the Study on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Loneliness and social isolation were measured at the baseline, and QoL was measured at the baseline and follow-up using CASP-12. Prospective associations were assessed via multivariate linear regression. Results: In Sweden, subjects with higher vs. lower loneliness had 1.01 (95% CI: −1.55, −0.40) units lower QoL, while every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.27 (95% CI: −0.42, −0.09)-unit decrease in QoL. In Spain, every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.66 (95% CI: −1.11, −0.22)-unit decrease in QoL. The association was stronger in subjects aged ≤65 years old and those with no chronic diseases. The association with loneliness was not statistically significant in Spain. Conclusion: Loneliness and social isolation are prospectively associated with decreased QoL among older adults, yet the associations are contextually bound. Future interventions should target both exposures, among others, in order to increase QoL in this group.

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Social isolation and loneliness as related to progression and reversion of frailty in the Survey of Health Aging Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Cited by 53 publications

References 22 publications

Factors Influencing the Stages of Frailty among Korean Older Adults Focusing on Objective and Subjective Social Isolation

Factors Influencing the Stages of Frailty among Korean Older Adults Focusing on Objective and Subjective Social Isolation

COVID-19 collateral damage: psychological distress and behavioral changes among older adults during the first outbreak in Stockholm, Sweden

Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults? Insights from Northern and Southern Europe

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