Department of Health Sciences, Seebohm Rowntree Building, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
Sheffield Hallam University, College of Health, Wellbeing, and Life Sciences, Robert Winston Building, Sheffield, S10 2BP, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 2;24(1):354. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-17892-5.
Research into men and masculinities suggests men may be more reluctant than women to state they are lonely, more reliant on partners/spouses and/or alcohol to tackle it, and that this may be a result of poorer social relationships. Ageing is often associated with loneliness, and research has indicated gendered results in older people, but existing evidence lacks generalisability and cultural context. This study tests hypotheses on sex differences in loneliness in older England-based men and women.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using a sample of 6936 respondents aged 50 + from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (wave 8). Multiple imputation with chained equations was conducted to handle missing data. Multivariate regression was used to investigate the impact of sex on a direct question on loneliness whilst controlling for the University of California loneliness (UCLA) scale. Multivariate regression with interaction terms were used to examine sex differences in loneliness and alcohol consumption, partner status, and social relationships.
Older men were less likely than older women to state they are lonely even when controlling for UCLA score. Older men showed a greater association between loneliness and alcohol consumption, but only when measuring the number of units consumed in the last week, and not using a less precise measure of the past year. Older men who cohabited with a partner were less lonely than cohabiting older women, whereas previously married but not cohabiting older men were lonelier than their female counterparts. However, never married older men were less lonely than never married older women. Evidence was found to suggests older men's worse friendships mediated this association, but social isolation and number of close relationships did not. Severe isolation predicted greater loneliness in older women, but not older men.
Cultural ideals of masculinity and older men's poorer quality friendships may explain their reluctance to directly state loneliness, greater dependency on partners/spouses, and use of alcohol. Severely isolated older men may under-report loneliness on the UCLA scale as well as a direct question.
男性与男性气质的研究表明，男性可能比女性更不愿意表示自己孤独，他们更依赖伴侣/配偶和/或酒精来解决孤独问题，这可能是社交关系较差的结果。衰老通常与孤独感有关，研究表明老年人存在性别差异，但现有证据缺乏普遍性和文化背景。本研究检验了英国老年男性和女性孤独感性别差异的假设。
我们使用英国老龄化纵向研究（第 8 波）中 6936 名 50 岁及以上受访者的样本进行了横断面研究。使用链式方程多重插补处理缺失数据。使用多元回归分析调查了性别对孤独感直接问题的影响，同时控制了加利福尼亚大学孤独感量表（UCLA）评分。使用具有交互项的多元回归分析检验了孤独感和饮酒、伴侣状况以及社会关系方面的性别差异。
即使控制了 UCLA 评分，老年男性表示孤独的可能性也低于老年女性。老年男性孤独感与饮酒之间的关联更强，但仅在测量上周饮酒量时如此，而使用过去一年饮酒量的粗略测量值时则不然。与伴侣同居的老年男性比同居的老年女性孤独感程度更低，而离异但未同居的老年男性比同龄女性孤独感程度更高。然而，从未结婚的老年男性比从未结婚的老年女性孤独感程度更低。有证据表明，老年男性较差的友谊质量可以解释他们不愿直接表示孤独感、对伴侣/配偶的更大依赖性以及对酒精的依赖。严重孤立的老年女性可能会低估 UCLA 量表以及直接问题中的孤独感，但老年男性则不会。
男性气质的文化理想和老年男性较差的友谊质量可能解释了他们不愿直接表示孤独感、对伴侣/配偶的更大依赖性以及对酒精的依赖。严重孤立的老年男性可能会低估 UCLA 量表以及直接问题中的孤独感，但老年男性则不会。
