Do lonely and socially isolated individuals think they die earlier? The link between loneliness, social isolation and expectations of longevity based on a nationally representative sample.

Abstract

Loneliness and social isolation both have been linked to morbidity and mortality. However, there is a lack of studies investigating whether these factors are associated with expectations of longevity. Therefore, we aimed to clarify this association. Cross-sectional data were taken from a nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older individuals (analytical sample, n=4857). Well-established scales were used to measure loneliness and social isolation. Equally to other large cohort studies, expectations of longevity were assessed using the question 'What age do you think you will live to?' It was adjusted for various socioeconomic and health-related factors. After adjusting for various socioeconomic and health-related covariates, multiple linear regressions showed that both loneliness (total sample: β=-0.97, P < 0.001; men: β=-1.04, P < 0.001; women: β=-0.97, P < 0.01) and social isolation (total sample: β=-0.93, P < 0.001; men: β=-0.86, P < 0.001; women: β=-0.91, P < 0.01) were associated with lower expectations of longevity in the total sample and stratified by gender. Furthermore, lower expectations of longevity were consistently associated with younger age (β=0.32, P < 0.001), being retired (β=-2.39, P < 0.001), not being employed (β=-1.97, P < 0.001), worse self-rated health (β=-1.31, P < 0.001), and a higher number of chronic illnesses (β=-0.38, P < 0.001) in the total sample, and in both genders. Even after adjusting for various covariates, findings still indicate an association between both loneliness and social isolation and markedly lower expectations of longevity. Future studies based on longitudinal data are required to gain further insights.