Social isolation and mortality among Canadian seniors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Social isolation, both subjective and objective, is linked to increased mortality risk.
• Previous studies suggest differential effects of various isolation measures on health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the prevalence of objective (low social participation) and subjective (loneliness, weak community belonging) social isolation in older Canadians.
• To determine the association of these isolation measures with all-cause mortality over an 8-9 year follow-up period.
• To explore direct and indirect pathways between social isolation and survival time, mediated by health status.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging data (2008/2009) linked to Canadian Vital Statistics-Death Database.
• Employed multivariate Cox proportional hazards models to assess mortality risk.
• Used structural equation models (SEM) to analyze direct and indirect effects on survival time, stratified by sex.

Main Results:

• Approximately 12% of older adults reported subjective isolation, and 24% reported low social participation.
• Low social participation was a significant predictor of mortality for both men and women, independent of subjective isolation and other covariates.
• Subjective isolation was not directly associated with mortality in final models, but showed indirect effects through health status.

Conclusions:

• Objective social isolation (low social participation) poses a significant mortality risk for older adults.
• Subjective feelings of isolation's impact on mortality appears to be mediated through health status, not a direct effect.
• Public health interventions should consider promoting social participation to mitigate mortality risk in aging populations.