Social Isolation and Loneliness Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study of U.S. Adults Older Than 50.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The potential impact of social distancing policies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (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 U.S. adults older than 50 before and during the lockdown.

Methods

Two waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a national panel sample of U.S. adults older than 50 years, 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.

Res

SUBMITTER: Peng S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8083229 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature