The Impact of Changing Social Support on Older Persons' Onset of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom
The Impact of Changing Social Support on Older Persons' Onset of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Social distancing measures aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are likely to have increased social isolation among those older than 70 instructed to shield at home. This study examines the incidence of loneliness by gender over the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic among persons aged 70 and older in the United Kingdom, and the impact of changing social networks and perceived social support on the new occurrence of loneliness. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants (N = 1,235) aged 70 and older with no reports of loneliness before the pandemic who participated in 7 rounds of the Understanding Society: COVID-19 Study (April 2020-January 2021) and the main Understanding Society Study conducted during 2019. Cox regression analyzed the time to a new occurrence of loneliness. RESULTS: Among older people who hardly ever/never felt lonely before the pandemic, 33.7% reported some degree of loneliness between April 2020 and January 2021. Living in a single-person household, having received more social support before the pandemic, changes in support receipt during the pandemic, and a deteriorating relationship with one's partner during the pandemic increased the risk of experiencing loneliness. Older women were more likely than older men to report loneliness, even when living with a partner. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: During the 3 COVID-19-related lockdowns in the United Kingdom, changes in older people's social networks and support resulted in a significant onset of loneliness. Findings highlight the risks of shielding older persons from COVID-19 in terms of their mental well-being and the importance of strengthening intergenerational support.
COVID-19, Relationship, Social isolation, Social networks, Well-being
1147-1159
Vlachantoni, Athina
06a52fbb-f2a0-4c81-9fbc-d6efc736c6cb
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Qin, Min
10d55bfb-f7e6-409a-bcc5-6d2ba1f743e8
2 March 2022
Vlachantoni, Athina
06a52fbb-f2a0-4c81-9fbc-d6efc736c6cb
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Qin, Min
10d55bfb-f7e6-409a-bcc5-6d2ba1f743e8
Vlachantoni, Athina, Evandrou, Maria, Falkingham, Jane and Qin, Min
(2022)
The Impact of Changing Social Support on Older Persons' Onset of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom.
The Gerontologist, 62 (8), .
(doi:10.1093/geront/gnac033).
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Social distancing measures aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are likely to have increased social isolation among those older than 70 instructed to shield at home. This study examines the incidence of loneliness by gender over the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic among persons aged 70 and older in the United Kingdom, and the impact of changing social networks and perceived social support on the new occurrence of loneliness. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants (N = 1,235) aged 70 and older with no reports of loneliness before the pandemic who participated in 7 rounds of the Understanding Society: COVID-19 Study (April 2020-January 2021) and the main Understanding Society Study conducted during 2019. Cox regression analyzed the time to a new occurrence of loneliness. RESULTS: Among older people who hardly ever/never felt lonely before the pandemic, 33.7% reported some degree of loneliness between April 2020 and January 2021. Living in a single-person household, having received more social support before the pandemic, changes in support receipt during the pandemic, and a deteriorating relationship with one's partner during the pandemic increased the risk of experiencing loneliness. Older women were more likely than older men to report loneliness, even when living with a partner. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: During the 3 COVID-19-related lockdowns in the United Kingdom, changes in older people's social networks and support resulted in a significant onset of loneliness. Findings highlight the risks of shielding older persons from COVID-19 in terms of their mental well-being and the importance of strengthening intergenerational support.
Text
The impact of changing social support on older persons onset of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 24 February 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 March 2022
Published date: 2 March 2022
Additional Information:
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.
Keywords:
COVID-19, Relationship, Social isolation, Social networks, Well-being
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 455526
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/455526
ISSN: 0016-9013
PURE UUID: 61ce5027-099e-4563-948f-26f024ab8cc9
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 24 Mar 2022 17:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:45
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
