Abstract
Background: Loneliness has been associated with hypervigilance and sad passivity. The physiological and psychological reactions of people with an intellectual disability to loneliness have never been investigated. This research aims to explore the outcomes of loneliness for an ageing intellectual disability population. Methods: In Ireland, data from a nationally representative data set of people aged over 40 years with an intellectual disability (N=317) was applied to a social environment model that describes the effects of loneliness in five pre-disease pathways health behaviours, exposure to stressful life events, coping, health and recuperation. The data was tested through chi-squared, ANCOVA and binary logistic regression. Results: Being lonely predicted raised systolic blood pressure (A.O.R=2.051, p=0.039), sleeping difficulties (AOR=2.526, p=0.002) and confiding in staff (AOR=0.464 p=0.008). Additionally, participants who did moderate activity had significantly higher loneliness scores (F=4.171, p<0.05). Conclusions: The analysis supports the concept of hypervigilance in older people with an intellectual disability and limited support for the use of coping mechanisms that differ from those found in the wider population. Future research needs to investigate the longitudinal relationships between loneliness and health.
Highlights
Loneliness has been reported to affect nearly 50% of individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) (McCarron et al, 2011; Stancliffe et al, 2010)
Analysis of the loneliness scale score found in path 3, the not lonely on the loneliness scale were more likely to confide in staff (χ2=6.625 p
In path 3, those who were lonely were less than half as likely to confide in staff as the not lonely participants (AOR=0.464, B=-0.769, SE=0.292, 95% CI=-1.333, -0.237)
Summary
Loneliness has been reported to affect nearly 50% of individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) (McCarron et al, 2011; Stancliffe et al, 2010). Loneliness in ageing populations has been associated with negative health (Leigh-Hunt et al, 2017), such as metabolic dysregulation (Shiovitz-Ezra & Parag, 2019), increased systolic blood pressure (Ong et al, 2012), and lifestyle consequences such as poor diets and smoking (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008). Loneliness in older people has negative consequences for health and wellbeing, being associated with increased metabolic dysregulation (Shiovitz-Ezra & Parag, 2019) and increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) (Hawkley et al, 2010; Ong et al, 2012). Methods: In Ireland, data from a nationally representative data set of people aged over 40 years with an intellectual disability (N=317) was applied to a social environment model that describes the effects of loneliness in five pre-disease pathways health behaviours, exposure to stressful life events, coping, health and recuperation. Future research needs to investigate the longitudinal relationships between loneliness and health
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