Hernández-López María Jesús, Hernández-Méndez Solanger, Leal-Costa César, Ramos-Morcillo Antonio Jesús, Díaz-García Isidora, López-Pérez María Verónica, García-González Jessica, Ruzafa-Martínez María
Faculty of Social and Health Sciences, University of Murcia, Av. de las Fuerzas Armadas, 30800 Lorca, Spain.
Faculty of Nursing, University of Murcia, Av. Buenavista 32, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia, Spain.
J Clin Med. 2024 Sep 21;13(18):5604. doi: 10.3390/jcm13185604.
Population aging poses many challenges to public health, highlighting loneliness and social isolation as severe problems that affect the physical and mental health of older adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these became aggravated. The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of loneliness and its relationship with social isolation, depression, cognitive deterioration, sleep quality, and the level of physical mobility and functioning of older adults in Health Area 3 of the Region of Murcia. A descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study was performed. The inclusion criteria were age ≥ 65, living in Health Area 3 of the Region of Murcia, and not being institutionalized. The following variables were evaluated: sociodemographic variables, loneliness (UCLA scale), social isolation (DUFSS), depression (GDS), cognitive deterioration (Pfeiffer), sleep quality (PSQI), and mobility (Barthel index). A univariate and multivariate regression model was created to examine how the dependent variable was related to the independent variables. A total of 102 older adults participated in the study. Of these, 31.4% perceived unwanted loneliness and 14.7% low social support. The multivariate regression analysis showed that social isolation, geriatric depression, and cognitive deterioration were significant predictors of loneliness. The findings highlight the importance of developing multifaceted interventions that address not only social isolation but also other interrelated factors such as depression, cognitive deterioration, and sleep quality. The strategies should be centered on community programs and support networks. It is fundamental to perform longitudinal studies to better understand the causal relationships between these variables.
人口老龄化给公共卫生带来了诸多挑战，凸显出孤独和社会孤立是影响老年人身心健康的严重问题。在新冠疫情期间，这些问题更加恶化。本研究的目的是评估穆尔西亚地区第3卫生区老年人孤独感的患病率及其与社会孤立、抑郁、认知衰退、睡眠质量以及身体活动能力和功能水平的关系。进行了一项描述性、观察性横断面研究。纳入标准为年龄≥65岁、居住在穆尔西亚地区第3卫生区且未被机构收容。评估了以下变量：社会人口统计学变量、孤独感（加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表）、社会孤立（DUFSS）、抑郁（老年抑郁量表）、认知衰退（ Pfeiffer ）、睡眠质量（匹兹堡睡眠质量指数）和活动能力（ Barthel指数）。创建了单变量和多变量回归模型来检验因变量与自变量之间的关系。共有102名老年人参与了该研究。其中，31.4%的人感到存在不必要的孤独感，14.7%的人社会支持较低。多变量回归分析表明，社会孤立、老年抑郁和认知衰退是孤独感的重要预测因素。研究结果强调了制定多方面干预措施的重要性，这些措施不仅要解决社会孤立问题，还要解决其他相关因素，如抑郁、认知衰退和睡眠质量。策略应以社区项目和支持网络为中心。进行纵向研究以更好地理解这些变量之间的因果关系至关重要。
