Yu Qi, Wu Jilei
School of Public Administration and Policy, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, 7366 East Road Erhuan, Jinan, Shan Dong, People's Republic of China.
Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Yiheyuan Road 5, Haidian District, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Popul Health Metr. 2025 Jun 7;23(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s12963-025-00383-z.
The evolution of family structures in China has led to changes in the living arrangements of older adults, resulting in an increasing prevalence of individuals living alone. This shift has raised concerns about the impact on the well-being of older adults, particularly in relation to loneliness. The objective of this study is to examine the association between living alone and lonely life expectancy (LLE) among older adults, with particular attention to gender differences.
This study analyzed data from 9664 individuals aged 65-105, drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted in 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018. A multistate life table approach, coupled with interpolation Markov Chain methods using IMaCh software (version 0.99r43), was employed to estimate age-specific transition probabilities, life expectancy (LE), lonely life expectancy (LLE), and the proportion of LLE to LE (LLE/LE). The analysis was stratified by gender and living arrangements, distinguishing between individuals living alone and those not living alone.
The study identified several key findings. First, while LE has increased among older adults in China, they continue to experience a substantial duration of LLE. Second, older adults living alone experienced both longer LLE and higher LLE/LE ratios. Specifically, the LLE/LE among individuals not living alone was 13.61% higher for males and 15.18% higher for females compared to those living alone. Third, among females living alone, the LLE/LE was the highest, reaching 39.48% at age 65, compared to just 20.96% for males not living alone.
Tackling persistent loneliness is essential for enhancing the quality of life among older adults, highlighting the need to integrate mental well-being into social welfare policies. As China's population ages and family structures continue to evolve, living arrangements emerge as crucial policy indicators. Prioritizing the mental health of older adults, particularly women living alone, is critical for the development of effective social security policies.
中国家庭结构的演变导致了老年人居住安排的变化，独居个体的比例日益增加。这一转变引发了对老年人福祉影响的担忧，尤其是与孤独感相关的影响。本研究的目的是探讨老年人独居与孤独预期寿命（LLE）之间的关联，特别关注性别差异。
本研究分析了来自中国老年健康影响因素跟踪调查（CLHLS）2008年、2011年、2014年和2018年的9664名65至105岁个体的数据。采用多状态生命表方法，并结合使用IMaCh软件（版本0.99r43）的插值马尔可夫链方法，来估计特定年龄的转移概率、预期寿命（LE）、孤独预期寿命（LLE）以及LLE占LE的比例（LLE/LE）。分析按性别和居住安排进行分层，区分独居个体和非独居个体。
该研究得出了几个关键发现。首先，虽然中国老年人的预期寿命有所增加，但他们仍经历着较长时间的孤独预期寿命。其次，独居老年人的孤独预期寿命更长，LLE/LE比例也更高。具体而言，与独居者相比，非独居男性的LLE/LE高出13.61%，非独居女性的LLE/LE高出15.18%。第三，在独居女性中，LLE/LE最高，65岁时达到39.48%，而男性非独居者仅为20.96%。
解决长期存在的孤独感对于提高老年人的生活质量至关重要，这凸显了将心理健康纳入社会福利政策的必要性。随着中国人口老龄化以及家庭结构不断演变，居住安排成为关键的政策指标。优先考虑老年人尤其是独居女性的心理健康，对于制定有效的社会保障政策至关重要。
