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Adjustment to widowhood and loneliness among older men: the influence of military service
- Authors:
- CARR Dawn Celeste, URENA Stephanie, TAYLOR Miles G.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 58(6), 2018, pp.1085-1095.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: Men are at higher risk of experiencing poorer adjustment to widowhood compared to women, a transition that is associated with increased loneliness. Military service may play an important role in how men process widowhood, particularly among current cohorts of older men. The present study explores whether military experiences relate to better adjustment to widowhood, that is, reduction of loneliness associated with widowhood for men. The authors examine (a) whether military experience, especially exposure to death, shapes changes in loneliness following widowhood relative to those without military experience, and (b) if any observed benefits of military experience are explained by greater social engagement. Research Design and Methods: The authors use the Health and Retirement Study and linked Veterans Mail Survey to address respondents while they are continuously married (T1) and at widowhood four years later (T2) using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression. To address their hypotheses, the authors examine whether military experience without exposure to death, and/or military experience with exposure to death moderates the overall negative effect of widowhood for loneliness relative to civilians. Results: There is a significantly lower level of loneliness among veterans with exposure to death relative to civilians who become widowed; however, veterans without exposure to death remain similar to civilian widowers. Social engagement does not explain the benefits associated with military exposures for widowers. Discussion and Implications: Although exposure to death early in life is traumatic, our research suggests that such adversity within the specific context of the military may help enhance resilience during the transition to widowhood. (Edited publisher abstract)
Change and stability in loneliness and friendship after an intervention for older women
- Authors:
- MARTINA Camille M.S., STEVENS Martin, WESTERHOF Gerben J.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 38(3), 2018, pp.435-454.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study examines patterns of change and stability in loneliness among 108 women who had participated in a friendship enrichment programme during the year after the programme. Seven groups of participants in which different levels of loneliness significantly declined, remained stable or increased were identified. These were reduced to the following groups: those recovered, significantly improved and not improved. The authors then examined whether resources such as age, education, partner status, health, initially available friendships and developments in friendships were related to these loneliness patterns. The data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, a loneliness scale and the personal convoy model. The results indicate that none of the demographic characteristics, nor health, were associated with the patterns of loneliness. Friendship availability and development did differ among the groups. Recovery from loneliness after a year was associated with the presence of a friend in the outer circle of the convoy and having more variation in one's friendships initially and one year later. It was also associated with the presence of a friend in the inner circle and reporting improvement in friendship later. The absence of these qualities initially or subsequently was more characteristic of those whose loneliness was stable or increased. Thus, the maintenance of companionate friendship and the development of intimacy in one's friendships seem advantageous for recovery from loneliness. While this study illustrates that recovery from, and significant reduction of loneliness are possible, we are not yet able to predict who will benefit and who will not benefit from a friendship enrichment programme. (Publisher abstract)
Tackling loneliness and social isolation: the role of commissioners
- Authors:
- HOLMES Pamela, THOMSON Lousia
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 6
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing explores the opportunities and barriers faced by commissioners seeking to address loneliness and social isolation in older people. It identifies evidence that points the way to a better understanding of effective interventions to tackle loneliness and social isolation, provides examples of emerging practice across the country, and examines what needs to happen next to improve the commissioning environment, and the changes that need to happen in other parts of society. It draws on discussions from a seminar organised by SCIE and Renaisi attended by commissioners, local authorities and third sector representatives, as well as the findings from previous research and evaluation. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social connections and sight loss: research findings
- Authors:
- ROYAL BLIND, SCOTTISH WAR BLINDED
- Publishers:
- Royal Blind, Scottish War Blinded
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 18
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
This report outlines the findings of research carried out across the services of the Scottish charities Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded to investigate the links between vision impairment and loneliness. The report into the major causes of isolation among people living with sight loss and examines what interventions are most effective in preventing and tackling loneliness. It draws on the results of a survey conducted through questionnaires and interviews amongst both young and older people using Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded’s services. The survey found the majority of respondents has experienced some loneliness. It identified the top causes of loneliness as: problems with mobility and accessing transport, other problems including health issues and vision impairment making it hard to make friends. The report makes recommendations for actions which should be taken in Scotland nationally and locally to promote better social connections for people living with sight loss. These include the need for more specialist support, more vision impairment awareness training in communities and public services and community transport initiatives to support people with sight loss. (Edited publisher abstract)
Assessing the relative importance of correlates of loneliness in later life. Gaining insight using recursive partitioning
- Authors:
- EJLSKOV Linda, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(11), 2018, pp.1486-1493.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Improving the design and targeting of interventions is important for alleviating loneliness among older adults. This requires identifying which correlates are the most important predictors of loneliness. This study demonstrates the use of recursive partitioning in exploring the characteristics and assessing the relative importance of correlates of loneliness in older adults. Method: Using exploratory regression trees and random forests, we examined combinations and the relative importance of 42 correlates in relation to loneliness at age 68 among 2453 participants from the birth cohort study the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Results: Positive mental well-being, personal mastery, identifying the spouse as the closest confidant, being extrovert and informal social contact were the most important correlates of lower loneliness levels. Participation in organised groups and demographic correlates were poor identifiers of loneliness. The regression tree suggested that loneliness was not raised among those with poor mental wellbeing if they identified their partner as closest confidante and had frequent social contact. Conclusion: Recursive partitioning can identify which combinations of experiences and circumstances characterise high-risk groups. Poor mental wellbeing and sparse social contact emerged as especially important and classical demographic factors as insufficient in identifying high loneliness levels among older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)
Health and Wellbeing Innovation Commission Inquiry: social connections and loneliness
- Author:
- BEACH Brian
- Publisher:
- International Longevity Centre UK
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 19
- Place of publication:
- London
This report reflects on how innovation can help foster and improve social connections to the benefit for all people in an ageing society. It also sets out examples of effective innovation in the area of social connections, opportunities and barriers to further innovation, and recommendations to support innovation. The report is based on an oral evidence session where expert witnesses gave evidence to the commissioners and research from ILC-UK. It is one of four publications from ILC-UK’s Health and Wellbeing Innovation Commission Inquiry, which examined the potential for innovation in the areas of health and wellbeing to ensure that services remain sustainable, address needs efficiently, and contribute to positive experiences in later life. (Edited publisher abstract)
Interventions to address social connectedness and loneliness for older adults: a scoping review
- Authors:
- O'ROURKE Hannah M., COLLINS Laura, SIDANI Souraya
- Journal article citation:
- BMC Geriatrics, 18(214), 2018, Online only
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central Ltd
Background: Older adults are at risk for loneliness, and interventions to promote social connectedness are needed to directly address this problem. The nature of interventions aimed to affect the distinct, subjective concepts of loneliness/social connectedness has not been clearly described. The purpose of this review was to map the literature on interventions and strategies to affect loneliness/social connectedness for older adults. Methods: A comprehensive scoping review was conducted. Six electronic databases were searched from inception in July 2015, resulting in 5530 unique records. Standardized inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in a set of 44 studies (reported in 54 articles) for further analysis. Data were extracted to describe the interventions and strategies, and the context of the included studies. Analytic techniques included calculating frequencies, manifest content analysis and meta-summary. Results: Interventions were described or evaluated in 39 studies, and five studies described strategies to affect loneliness/social connectedness of older adults or their caregivers in a qualitative descriptive study. The studies were often conducted in the United States (38.6%) among community dwelling (54.5%), cognitively intact (31.8%), and female-majority (86.4%) samples. Few focused on non-white participants (4.5%). Strategies described most often were engaging in purposeful activity and maintaining contact with one’s social network. Of nine intervention types identified, the most frequently described were One-to-One Personal Contact and Group Activity. Authors held divergent views of why the same type of intervention might impact social connectedness, but social contact was the most frequently conceptualized influencing factor targeted, both within and across intervention types. Conclusions: Research to test the divergent theories of why interventions work is needed to advance understanding of intervention mechanisms. Innovative conceptualizations of intervention targets are needed, such as purposeful activity, that move beyond the current focus on the objective social network as a way to promote social connectedness for older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)
Loneliness as a risk factor for care home admission in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
- Authors:
- HANRATTY Barbara, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 47(6), 2018, pp.896-900.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: loneliness has an adverse effect on health and well-being, and is common at older ages. Evidence that it is a risk factor for care home admission is sparse. Objective: to investigate the association between loneliness and care home admission. Setting: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Participants: two-hundred fifty-four individuals across seven waves (2002–15) of ELSA who moved into care homes were age, sex matched to four randomly selected individuals who remained in the community. Methods: logistic regression models examined associations between loneliness, socio-demographic factors, functional status and health on moving into care homes. Results: loneliness (measured by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale and a single-item question from the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)) was associated with moving into a care home (CES-D OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.43–3.17, P = 0.0002, UCLA OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.01–3.27, P = 0.05). The association persisted after adjusting for established predictors (age, sex, social isolation, depression, memory problems including diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, disability, long-term physical health and wealth). The impact of loneliness (measured by CES-D) on admission accounted for a population attributable fraction of 19.9% (95% CI 7.8–30.4%). Conclusions: loneliness conveys an independent risk of care home admission that, unlike other risk factors, may be amenable to modification. Tackling loneliness amongst older adults may be a way of enhancing wellbeing and delaying or reducing the demand for institutional care. (Edited publisher abstract)
Predicting perceived isolation among midlife and older LGBT adults: the role of welcoming aging service providers
- Authors:
- YANG Jie, CHU Yoosun, SALMON Mary Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 58(5), 2018, pp.904-912.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults are more likely to live alone and less likely to have children compared with their heterosexual counterparts. The lack of immediate family system can render older LGBT adults particularly vulnerable to social isolation and its consequences. The current study utilizes social exclusion theory, which asserts that not only material resources but also engagement with and inclusion into the society are necessary for marginalized people to be integrated into the mainstream. The study examines whether ageing service providers (e.g., senior centres, adult day care, transportation, employment services) who are perceived by older LGBT adults as welcoming to LGBT people may reduce this population’s perceived isolation. Research Design and Methods: Data were collected through a needs assessment survey designed for the ageing LGBT community in North Carolina. Adults aged 45 and over who self-identified as LGBT were recruited at several formal and informal groups. The survey yielded 222 valid responses. The outcome variable was perceived isolation. Key independent variables included having experienced welcoming ageing service providers and living alone. Results: After controlling for potential confounders and demographics, logistic regression results showed that having experienced welcoming ageing service providers was a protective factor against perceived isolation and it also buffered the negative impact of living alone. Discussion and Implications: The findings provided preliminary evidence for a new direction of intervention research—targeting LGBT cultural competence training for medical and social service providers. (Edited publisher abstract)
An overview of reviews: the effectiveness of interventions to address loneliness at all stages of the life-course
- Authors:
- VICTOR Christina, et al
- Publisher:
- What Works Centre for Wellbeing
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 87
- Place of publication:
- London
This systematic review of reviews examines the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate loneliness. Searches retrieved 364 evidence reviews for screening. The final review provides a synthesis of 14 reviews and 14 reports identified from the grey literature, focused on assessing interventions to alleviate loneliness. The material included is International and from within the UK. All published and grey literature studies included focus on older people. Key findings show that there is no one-size fits-all approach to alleviating loneliness in older population groups and that tailored approaches are more likely to reduce loneliness. A number of different approaches are being used to alleviate loneliness in older adults. These include: leisure activities; therapies; social and community interventions; educational approaches; befriending; and system-wide activities, such as changing the cultures of care. There was no evidence of approaches doing any harm, however there was a suggestion that some technology-based approaches are not suitable for everyone and could reinforce a sense of social isolation. A wide variety of loneliness measures were used, and the concept of loneliness was not clearly defined, with the terms loneliness and social isolation often used interchangeably. The results from controlled study designs in community settings and care homes showed no effect of interventions on loneliness. However, the review notes that loneliness is seldom reported as a primary outcome in the published literature. The review makes a number of recommendations for policy. (Edited publisher abstract)