| Abstract | Many studies have revealed that older adults experience varying rates of loneliness
depending on their living arrangements, yet few have been measured in nursing homes. I
assess rates of loneliness among aging adults across different living arrangements, including
nursing homes. Analyzing nationally representative longitudinal survey data from the United
States, I observe older adults in all living arrangements and whether the transition into
nursing homes is linked with increased rates of loneliness. Findings indicate that older adults
living in nursing homes are at a 3.0 higher odds of experiencing loneliness compared to those
living independently. When controlling for demographic and family variables, older adults
were still at a higher odds of experiencing loneliness. However, when taking into account
health variables, older adults living in nursing were at a lower risk of experiencing loneliness
compared to those living independently. When moving from community living into nursing
homes, respondents experienced a 0.512 increase in loneliness. When stratifying by gender,
men were at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness, regardless of controls or not.
Additionally, men also experienced a higher increase in loneliness when moving into nursing
homes compared to their female counterparts
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