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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly | | Author(s) | Jeanette Golden, Ronán M Conroy, Irene Bruce |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 24, no 7, July 2009 |
| Pages | pp 694-700 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/gps |
| Keywords | Loneliness ; Informal care ; Attitude ; Well being ; Living in the community ; Ireland. |
| Annotation | Both loneliness and social networks have been linked with mood and well-being. However, few studies have examined these factors simultaneously in community-dwelling participants. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between social network, loneliness, depression, anxiety and quality of life in community dwelling older people living in Dublin. 1299 people aged 65+, recruited through primary care practices, were interviewed in their own homes using the GMS-AGECAT. Social network was assessed using Wenger's typology. Results showed that 35% of participants were lonely, with 9% describing it as painful and 6% as intrusive. Similarly, 34% had a non-integrated social network. However, the two constructs were distinct: 32% of participants with an integrated social network reported being lonely. Loneliness was higher in women, the widowed and those with physical disability and increased with age; but when age-related variables were controlled for this association they were non-significant. Well-being, depressed mood and hopelessness were all independently associated with both loneliness and non-integrated social network. In particular, loneliness explained the excess risk of depression in the widowed. The population attributable risk (PAR) associated with loneliness was 61%, compared with 19% for non-integrated social network. Taken together they had a PAR of 70%. Loneliness and social networks both independently affect mood and well-being in the older adult population, underlying a very significant proportion of depressed mood. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090824211 A |
| Classmark | DV: P6: DP: D:F:5HH: K4: 763 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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