The relationship between loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-perception of ageing among older adults

The proportion of older adults is increasing in nearly all societies worldwide. Understanding how older adults perceive their own ageing has therefore become increasingly important. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-perception of ageing among older adults.

The study included 439 adults aged 60 years and older. The following research instruments were used: the Polish version of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ-24-PL), the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) according to Yesavage, the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS), and an author-designed interview questionnaire.

The mean overall AAQ score was 75.74 (SD = 11.82). Both overall self-perception of ageing and its individual domains were significantly associated with loneliness (AAQ: p < 0.001, OR = 2.59; PL: p < 0.001, OR = 2.76; PC: p < 0.001, OR = 3.37; PG: p < 0.001, OR = 3.59), depressive symptoms (AAQ: p < 0.001, OR = 2.07; PL: p < 0.001, OR = 2.35; PC: p < 0.001, OR = 4.92; PG: p < 0.001, OR = 3.12), social network characteristics (AAQ: p = 0.006, OR = 1.72; PL: p = 0.002, OR = 1.84; PC: p = 0.001, OR = 2.26; PG: p = 0.005, OR = 1.75), self-rated health (AAQ: p < 0.001, OR = 2.07; PL: p < 0.001, OR = 2.20; PC: p < 0.001, OR = 2.73; PG: p = 0.021, OR = 1.60), and age (AAQ: p = 0.019, OR = 1.60; PL: p = 0.008, OR = 1.69; PC: p = 0.004, OR = 2.07; PG: p = 0.026, OR = 1.57). Active leisure activities (PC: OR = 0.46; PG: OR = 0.64) and higher educational attainment (PC: OR = 0.29; PG: OR = 0.48) were associated with a more positive self-perception of ageing.

Respondents demonstrated positive attitudes towards their own ageing in the domains of physical change and psychological growth, whereas more negative attitudes were observed in the psychosocial loss domain. Loneliness and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a more negative self-perception of ageing among older adults. A more negative self-perception of ageing was also more frequently observed among respondents with a poorly developed social network, poorer self-rated health, and older age. Conversely, active leisure engagement and higher educational attainment were associated with a more positive self-perception of ageing.