Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Community Dwelling-Individuals: The Role of Socio-Demographics

Background: Social determinants have a major influence on individuals' health, and among them, loneliness has an important impact on the health of the elderly.

Objectives: The aims were to determine loneliness and its social and emotional components in a sample of elderly people and to assess its prevalence and associations with sociodemographic variables.

Methods: Analytical, cross-sectional, observational research was carried out based on a population over 60 years of age in Valencia (Spain). Loneliness was assessed with the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale.

Results: Five-hundred and thirty community-dwelling individuals participated. The mean age of the sample was 72.7 years (84.2% women); 36.2% suffered from moderate loneliness and 6.6% suffered from extreme loneliness. The sociodemographic variables most significantly related to loneliness were being single, separated, or divorced ( < 0.01). Among widowers, loneliness was inversely associated with years of widowhood ( < 0.01). Having sons/daughters was a significant protective factor ( < 0.05), while having grandchildren or siblings did not have a significant influence. The ability to walk and smartphone and video call use were not associated with loneliness.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of unwanted loneliness in community-dwelling individuals, and some social factors play an important role. Interventions against loneliness among older people are a priority for welfare and public health.