Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2009 Dec;21(6):1160-70. doi: 10.1017/S1041610209990974. Epub 2009 Sep 29.
There is a paucity of past research concerning longitudinal changes in loneliness in old age and in the factors that correlate with loneliness in older persons. This study examines (a) whether loneliness increases with age, (b) characteristics of the lonely older population, and (c) predictors of becoming lonely in old age.
Data are from the Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Aging Study, a national longitudinal study on the health, mental, and social status of people aged 75 and older living in Israel. Loneliness was measured as the frequency at which participants had felt lonely during the last month (range: 0-3). The analysis included two waves of data, with an average gap of 3.5 years between them, with 1147 participants at wave 1 and 588 participants at wave 2.
Data showed an increase in the mean level of loneliness over time, rising from 0.62 to 0.80, p<0.001. The strongest correlate of being lonely at wave 1 was unmarried status. Different variables predicted loneliness in the married and the unmarried. Among the married, lonelier persons tended to have experienced more traumatic events, had more doctor's visits, and manifested less cognitive vitality. In contrast, among the unmarried, loneliness was higher in those with financial difficulties, poor health, and less social network support. The longitudinal transition to becoming lonely was more likely in women, those with insufficient financial resources, and people with poorer health.
Results highlight the following implications for the development of preventive programs: (a) helping older persons maintain and develop social networks for preventing increased loneliness, (b) taking demographic factors, health factors, and previous trauma into account when designing interventions, and (c) targeting unmarried women for interventions.
关于老年人孤独感的纵向变化以及与老年人孤独感相关的因素，过去的研究较少。本研究考察了（a）孤独感是否随年龄增长而增加，（b）孤独的老年人群的特征，以及（c）老年人变得孤独的预测因素。
数据来自横断面和纵向老龄化研究，这是一项针对以色列 75 岁及以上人群健康、心理和社会状况的全国性纵向研究。孤独感是通过参与者在过去一个月感到孤独的频率来衡量的（范围：0-3）。分析包括两个波的数据，两次调查之间的平均间隔为 3.5 年，第一次调查有 1147 名参与者，第二次调查有 588 名参与者。
数据显示，孤独感的平均水平随时间呈上升趋势，从 0.62 上升到 0.80，p<0.001。在第一次调查中孤独感最强的相关因素是未婚状态。不同的变量预测了已婚和未婚人群的孤独感。在已婚人群中，孤独感较强的人往往经历过更多的创伤性事件，看医生的次数更多，认知活力也较低。相比之下，在未婚人群中，经济困难、健康状况不佳和社交网络支持较少的人孤独感更高。在女性、财务资源不足的人和健康状况较差的人中，纵向过渡到孤独的可能性更高。
研究结果强调了以下对预防计划发展的启示：（a）帮助老年人维护和发展社交网络，以预防孤独感增加；（b）在设计干预措施时考虑人口因素、健康因素和以前的创伤；（c）针对未婚女性进行干预。
