Abstract
The aim of this study is to expand our knowledge about the factors that condition late-life loneliness from a longitudinal perspective. We assess the long-term relationship between education, late-life loneliness and family trajectories in terms of the role of partnership and motherhood, as well as their timing for older women. We set two initial hypotheses: (1) family trajectory has a mediating effect and (2) education has a selection effect. Cross-sectional and retrospective data are drawn from the three waves of the SHARE survey (3rd, 5th and 7th waves), selecting a subsample of women aged 65 and over from 11 European countries (N = 10,615). After distinguishing eight different family trajectories by carrying out a Sequence Analysis, the Karlson-Holm-Breen method is used to assess the mediator effect of family trajectory on the relationship between education and loneliness. Multinomial analysis is used to explore whether the probability of different family trajectories of older European women is defined by their level of education. Our results show that education has a selection effect on family trajectories: a higher educational level increases the probability of a non-standardised family trajectory. Significant results of the mediator effect of family trajectory are however only observed for women with medium-level education, as being single and childless at older ages increases the probability of loneliness among these women. Adopting a life-course perspective has permitted us to introduce the longitudinal dimensions of life events, education and family trajectories to the study of feelings of loneliness among women in old age.
Highlights
Loneliness refers to a subjective experience in which individuals feel a lack in the quality or quantity of social relations in terms of support, intimacy or companionship (Cornwell & Waite, 2009; De Jong Gierveld et al, 2018)
We aim to examine how the interplay of education and family trajectory, two factors that are experienced at distinct stages within the individual life course, may result in different outcomes when it comes to feelings of loneliness among older women in Europe
The total and direct effects confirm that education is significantly associated with feelings of loneliness in old age
Summary
Loneliness refers to a subjective experience in which individuals feel a lack in the quality or quantity of social relations in terms of support, intimacy or companionship (Cornwell & Waite, 2009; De Jong Gierveld et al, 2018). Among all the individual factors related to late-life loneliness, education has normally been considered as a control variable to approach the individual’s socioeconomic status (De Jong Gierveld et al, 2018). The findings in this respect are clear: feelings of loneliness are prevalent among older adults with a low level of education (Dahlberg et al, 2018; Hansen & Slagsvold, 2016; Savikko et al, 2005) whereas individuals with higher educational levels are at lower risk of feeling late-life loneliness (Smith & Victor, 2019). This raises the question of whether the protective effect of education on late-life loneliness could be mediated by family trajectories after completing one’s education, or whether this can be attributed to a selection effect
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