Title | Social isolation and loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study of US Adults over 50. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Authors | Peng, S, Roth, AR |
Journal | The Journals of Gerontology, Series B |
Volume | 77 |
Issue | 7 |
Pagination | e185-e190 |
ISSN Number | 1758-5368 |
Keywords | COVID-19, Digital isolation, Mental Health, Social Relationships, Social Support |
Abstract | OBJECTIVES: The potential impact of social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on social isolation and loneliness is of increasing global concern. Although many studies focus primarily on loneliness, patterns of social isolation-particularly physical and digital isolation-are understudied. We examined changes in social isolation, physical isolation, digital isolation, and loneliness in US adults over 50 before and during the lockdown. METHODS: Two waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a national panel sample of US adults over 50 years old, were used. Fixed-effects regression models were fitted to identify within-person change from 2016 to 2020 to examine the impact of social distancing policies during the pandemic. RESULTS: There was an increase in physical isolation and social isolation among respondents during the COVID-19 social distancing policies. However, respondents experienced no change in digital isolation or loneliness. The increase in physical isolation was only present for people with high COVID-19 concern whereas people with low concern experienced no change in physical isolation. DISCUSSION: Despite an increase in physical isolation due to the social distancing policies, US adults aged over 50 stayed connected through digital contact and were resilient in protecting themselves from loneliness. |
DOI | 10.1093/geronb/gbab068 |
Citation Key | 11584 |
PubMed ID | 33870414 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC8083229 |