Loneliness and HbA1c among older Irish couples: Retirement as life stage context

Loneliness is an important determinant of health and mortality among the aging population, including for cardiometabolic health. Yet research has largely focused on individual experiences of loneliness, rather than taking intimate relationships into account. However, recent studies have highlighted that loneliness of a partner may have implications for one's own health and well-being as well. Indeed, this is particularly true among older couples, as life events and shifting time horizons (e.g., retirement, reduced social networks) can lead to greater prominence and salience of one's closest relationships. This study uses dyadic structural equation modeling (SEM) to estimate actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) examining associations between loneliness and HbA1c levels among 1331 older married couples from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA, 2009-2011). Furthermore, we test whether any such actor or partner effects vary by employment status. Results indicated that one's own loneliness was not significantly linked with HbA1c, irrespective of employment status. However, loneliness of a dyadic partner was significantly associated with elevated HbA1c among retired persons only. These findings underscore that relationship and life course context are crucial when considering the dyadic implications of loneliness for health among the older population.