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Loneliness and functional limitations shaping one another: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study
1Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Aging & Mental Health
|December 16, 2024
Summary
Loneliness and functional limitations in older adults have a two-way relationship over time. Addressing both loneliness and functional limitations concurrently can help break negative health cycles.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Psychology
Background:
- Longitudinal studies on the bidirectional association between loneliness and functional limitations in older adults are scarce.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for developing effective interventions for aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationship between loneliness and functional limitations over time.
- To examine carry-over and spill-over effects between loneliness and functional limitations in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 7,046 older American adults from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) spanning 2008-2016.
- Employed a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to differentiate within-person and between-person effects.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a bidirectional association between loneliness and functional limitations at the within-person level (2012-2016).
- Confirmed a significant between-person correlation between higher levels of loneliness and greater functional limitations.
Conclusions:
- Loneliness and functional limitations reciprocally influence each other in later life.
- Findings support the development of integrated interventions to address both loneliness and functional limitations in older adults.
- Concurrent interventions can mitigate the negative cycle between loneliness and health in the elderly.
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