Social isolation, loneliness, death stress and life satisfaction in older adults: A serial mediation study

This study aims to examine the mediating role of loneliness on the relationship between social isolation and life satisfaction among older adults and tests a mechanism through which social isolation exerts its menacing effects through a sequential model of loneliness and death distress. Data came from 548 community-dwelling older adults in rural settings in Turkey. They completed some demographic information including sex, age and measures of social isolation, loneliness, death distress, and life satisfaction. The results showed that loneliness and death distress exacerbated the negative effects of social isolation on life satisfaction. Loneliness and death distress served as a sequential mediating role in the association between social isolation and life satisfaction. Older adults with higher social isolation experience heightened loneliness and death distress, and worsening levels of life satisfaction. Greater experience of loneliness in sequence with greater levels of death distress mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and social isolation.