Social Isolation and Loneliness among Near-Centenarians and Centenarians: Results from the Fordham Centenarian Study

Daniele Zaccaria, Stefano Cavalli, Barbara Masotti, Carla Gomes Da Rocha, Armin von Gunten and Daniela S. Jopp
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Daniele Zaccaria: Centre of Competence on Ageing, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), 6928 Manno, Switzerland
Stefano Cavalli: Centre of Competence on Ageing, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), 6928 Manno, Switzerland
Barbara Masotti: Centre of Competence on Ageing, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), 6928 Manno, Switzerland
Carla Gomes Da Rocha: Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
Armin von Gunten: Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
Daniela S. Jopp: Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Social isolation and loneliness have been recognized as problems older people face due to their adverse effects on health and mortality, but very few researchers have analyzed their co-occurrence, which might be particularly prevalent and critical among the very old. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of combinations of social isolation and loneliness among near-centenarians and centenarians. We used data collected from 94 individuals aged 95–107 from the Fordham Centenarian Study. We built a four-group typology and explored associations with individual characteristics in various domains (demographic, socioeconomics, social, health, care, and psychological) with multinomial logistic regression models. Considering their combinations, the most prevalent groups were “isolated and lonely” and “neither isolated nor lonely” (29.8% and 28.7%, respectively). The “lonely but not isolated” (20.2%) and “isolated but not lonely” (21.3%) groups were also notably large. The likelihood of belonging to each group varied according to various individual characteristics, such as education, health, and personality. Social isolation and loneliness are distinct phenomena among centenarians. The consideration of their varied combination can help better assess life conditions at very old ages. Taking into account the differences between groups can facilitate the design of tailored interventions to improve the lives of near-centenarians and centenarians.

Keywords: social isolation; loneliness; near-centenarians; centenarians; Fordham Centenarian Study; typology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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