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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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An investigation into the patterns of loneliness and loss in the oldest old
— Newcastle 85+ study | | Author(s) | Katie Brittain, Andrew Kingston, Karen Davies |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 37, no 1, January 2017 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, January 2017 |
| Pages | pp 39-62 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Loneliness ; Isolation ; Bereavement ; Octogenarians ; Nonagenarians ; Longitudinal surveys ; Newcastle upon Tyne ; North Tyneside. |
| Annotation | Old age is often characterised as being associated with neglect, isolation and loneliness, not least since established risks factors for loneliness include widowhood, living alone, depression and being female. Cross-sectional data have challenged the notion that loneliness is especially an old-age phenomenon, but longitudinal data on loneliness is scarce. Moreover, an under-represented group in previous studies are the oldest old, those aged 85 years and more. This paper addresses these knowledge gaps using data from the Newcastle 85+ Study, a large population-based cohort aged 85 years at first interview, with follow-up interviews at 18 months and three years. At baseline over half (55%) reported being always or often alone, and 41% reported feeling more lonely than ten years previously, although only 2% reported always feeling lonely. Women spent more time alone than men, and reported more loneliness both currently and compared to the past. Length of widowhood was a key factor, with those recently widowed having twice the risk of feeling lonely and those widowed for five or more years having a lower risk of reporting increased loneliness. Overall, the findings show that loneliness is a minority experience in the oldest old, but is strongly driven by length of widowhood, challenging the notion that loneliness in later life is a static experience. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-170210003 A |
| Classmark | DV: TP: DW: BBM: BBR: 3J: 86A: 86B |
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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