TY - JOUR T1 - Self- and other-oriented potential lifetime traumatic events as predictors of loneliness in the second half of life. JF - Aging Ment Health Y1 - 2012 A1 - Yuval Palgi A1 - Amit Shrira A1 - Menachem Ben-Ezra A1 - Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra A1 - Liat Ayalon KW - Age Factors KW - Aged KW - Aged, 80 and over KW - Child KW - Child Abuse KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - depression KW - Female KW - Forecasting KW - Humans KW - Life Change Events KW - Loneliness KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Self Psychology KW - Wounds and Injuries AB -

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between self- and other-oriented potential lifetime traumatic events (PLTE) and loneliness at the second half of life.

METHOD: The sample was comprised of 7446 respondents who completed the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2006 psychosocial questionnaire. PLTE were classified into self-oriented PLTE, defined as traumatic events that primarily inflict the self (e.g., being abused by parents) and other-oriented PLTE, defined as events that affect the self by primarily targeting others (e.g., death of one's child). We evaluated the role of self- and other-oriented PLTE as predictors of loneliness, as evaluated by the short R-UCLA. Analyses were stratified by age at which trauma happened categorized into four life periods (0-17, 18-30, 31-49, 50+).

RESULTS: The results showed that PLTE is positively related to loneliness. Moreover, the number of other-oriented PLTE, and even more pronouncedly self-oriented PLTE, that happened up until adulthood were the strongest predictors of loneliness at the second half of life.

CONCLUSION: The study suggests that self- and other-oriented PLTE reported to have occurred early in life are associated with perceived loneliness in the second half of life.

PB - 16 VL - 16 IS - 4 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22296337?dopt=Abstract U3 - 22296337 U4 - psycho-social/potential lifetime traumatic events/loneliness ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Situational versus chronic loneliness as risk factors for all-cause mortality. JF - Int Psychogeriatr Y1 - 2010 A1 - Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra A1 - Liat Ayalon KW - Age Factors KW - Aged KW - Aged, 80 and over KW - Aging KW - Cause of Death KW - Female KW - Geriatric Assessment KW - Health Surveys KW - Humans KW - Israel KW - Life Change Events KW - Loneliness KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Risk Factors KW - social isolation KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Time Factors AB -

BACKGROUND: Several international studies have substantiated the role of loneliness as a risk factor for mortality. Although both theoretical and empirical research has supported the classification of loneliness as either situational or chronic, research to date has not evaluated whether this classification has a differential impact upon mortality.

METHODS: To establish the definition of situational vs. chronic loneliness, we used three waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of Americans over the age of 50 years. Baseline data for the present study were collected in the years 1996, 1998, and 2000. The present study concerns the 7,638 individuals who completed all three waves; their loneliness was classified as either not lonely, situational loneliness or chronic loneliness. Mortality data were available through to the year 2004.

RESULTS: Those identified as "situationally lonely" (HR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.52-1.62) as well as those identified as "chronically lonely" (HR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.71-1.87) had a greater risk for all cause mortality net of the effect of possible demographic and health confounders. Nonetheless, relative to those classified as "situationally lonely," individuals classified as "chronically lonely" had a slightly greater mortality risk.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study emphasizes the important role loneliness plays in older adults' health. The study further supports current division into situational vs. chronic loneliness, yet suggests that both types serve as substantial mortality risks.

PB - 22 VL - 22 IS - 3 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20003631?dopt=Abstract U3 - 20003631 U4 - Loneliness/Older Adults/Isolation/Death/Demography/Dying/chronic loneliness/mortality/situational loneliness ER -