The association of falls with loneliness and social exclusion: evidence from the DEAS German Ageing Survey

Abstract

BackgroundIt remains an open question whether falls are related with social relations, covering subjective (e.g., perceived loneliness) and more objective dimensions (e.g., number of important individuals in regular contact). Consequently, we aimed at examining the association between falls and social ties comprehensively, including loneliness, social exclusion and the number of important people in regular contact.MethodsCross-sectional data were used from a population-based sample of community-dwelling individuals aged 40 and over (n = 7808) in Germany. Self-rated loneliness was quantified using a short version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Perceived social exclusion was measured using a scale developed by Bude and Lantermann. Furthermore and in contrast to the subjective outcome measures, the more objective number of important people in regular contact was also used as outcome variable. The experience of a fall in the preceding 12 months (yes; no) was assessed.ResultsControlling for various possible confounding variables, linear regressions showed that experiencing a fall in the past 12 months was associated with higher social exclusion (β = .08, p < .001), and increased loneliness (β = .08, p < .001), whereas it was not associated with the number of important people in regular contact.ConclusionsFindings stress the relation between falls and feelings of loneliness and social exclusion, whereas falls were unrelated to the more objective measure of number of important people in regular contact, suggesting that falls are particularly related to subjective measures of social ties and relations. This underlines the importance of interventions to prevent falls. Preventing falls in turn might help to prevent loneliness and social exclusion.

A longitudinal analysis of loneliness, social isolation and falls amongst older people in England

“…Both social isolation measures, living alone and low social contact, were associated with a higher hazard of both self-reported falls and falls requiring hospital admittance amongst older adults, independent of individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics, as well as health and life-style factors. This builds on a previous cross-sectional study showing associations between loneliness, social isolation and falls, but extends them by providing longitudinal self-reported and objective hospital data over a follow-up period of up to 14 years 49 .…”

Associations between the measures of physical function, risk of falls and the quality of life in haemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study

“…As such, falls and an increased risk of falls can deter subjects to continue their outdoor social activities, resulting in changes in means and location of social contact to less stimulating activities (e.g. a phone call rather than a rendezvous point), promoting the risk of impairments in mental health and depression [43]. This hypothesis dovetails nicely with findings from a large Italian study on 227 HD patients that reported improvements in subjective quality of social interaction after an easy accessible physical activity program [44].…”

The association between use of online social networks sites and perceived social isolation among individuals in the second half of life: results based on a nationally representative sample in Germany

“…A positive association between the use of social network sites and loneliness (the perceived discrepancy between actual and desired social relationships) has also been shown among younger adults in different countries [2, 3]. It is worth noting that while loneliness is related to social isolation, these are two distinct constructs [4] and they differ in their correlates [5].…”