Social relationship adversities throughout the lifecourse and risk of loneliness in later life

Linda Ejlskov,Mai Stafford,Diana Kuh,Henrik Bøggild

doi:10.1017/s0144686x19000345

Linda Ejlskov, Mai Stafford + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x19000345

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Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding how social experiences throughout life shape later loneliness levels may help to identify how to alleviate loneliness at later lifestages. This study investigates the association between social relationship adversities throughout the lifecourse and loneliness in later life. Using prospective data from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (N = 2,453), we conducted multivariable analyses to investigate independent, cumulative and moderated effects between the number of social relationship adversities experienced in childhood, mid-adulthood and later adulthood and the feeling of loneliness at age 68. We examined interactions between social relationship adversities and current quantity and quality aspects of social relationships. We found evidence of a step-dose response where greater exposure to social relationship adversities experienced at three earlier lifestages predicted higher loneliness levels in later life with more recent social relationship adversities more strongly related to loneliness. The results also demonstrated support for exacerbation and amelioration of earlier adverse social relationship experiences by current social isolation and relationship quality, respectively. This study suggests that social relationship adversities experienced throughout the lifecourse continue to influence loneliness levels much later in life. A key finding is that adverse social relationship experiences in earlier life may explain why otherwise socially similar individuals differ in their levels of loneliness. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Highlights

Finding strategies to alleviate loneliness is an important aspect of ensuring the wellbeing and physical health of the population at later lifestages (Hawkley and Cacioppo, 2010; Steptoe et al, 2013; Hawkley, 2015)
Social relationship adversity experienced in later adulthood was negatively correlated with perceived relationship quality at age 68 (ρ = −0.11)
For social relationship adversity experienced in later adulthood, we found a negative correlation with perceived relationship quality at age 68

Summary

Introduction

Finding strategies to alleviate loneliness is an important aspect of ensuring the wellbeing and physical health of the population at later lifestages (Hawkley and Cacioppo, 2010; Steptoe et al, 2013; Hawkley, 2015) Such strategies often focus on reducing the social isolation of the participants but show mixed results. The key to an improved understanding of why loneliness arises seems to lie in a better understanding of what influences the perception of the quality and quantity of our social relationships (Dykstra, 2009) Such an understanding may be found using a lifecourse perspective (Perlman and Peplau, 1981)

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