Stress, Social Isolation Profiles, and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in a Low-Income Community in Singapore

To identify distinct social isolation profiles and their associations, both direct and stress-moderating, with depressive symptoms using objective and subjective indicators of social isolation among older adults in a low-income community.

Latent class analysis and multivariable regression were conducted with data from 881 individuals aged 60 years or above residing in public rental housing in the Chin Swee area of Singapore.

Four profiles emerged: "well-connected and less lonely" (27.9%), "structurally isolated but less lonely" (56.4%), "somewhat isolated and moderately lonely" (11.3%), and "severely isolated and highly lonely" (4.4%). The latter two profiles demonstrated significantly greater depressive symptoms than the former two. Additionally, the "somewhat isolated and moderately lonely" profile showed heightened vulnerability to stressors, exhibiting stronger associations between life stressors and depressive symptoms compared with the "well-connected and less lonely" profile.

Subjective loneliness, more so than objective structural isolation, is pivotal in shaping older adults' mental health and stress vulnerability within low-income settings. Interventions should consider decoupling loneliness from social isolation, tailoring support to the specific needs associated with different social isolation profiles.