Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Depressive Symptoms: A Twelve-Year Population Study of Temporal Dynamics.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Social isolation and loneliness are two different aspects of social connections. Whether social isolation and loneliness precede depressive symptoms, or depressive symptoms precede feelings of loneliness and social isolation, or both, has not been fully established. This study aims to examine the possible reciprocity in the relationship between the two aspects of social connections and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults.

Method

This study analyzed four waves of data (2008-2016) from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 5,393 individuals) and investigated within-person level cross-lagged associations of social isolation and loneliness with depressive symptoms using random intercept cross-lagged panel models.

Results

This study revealed a

SUBMITTER: Luo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9938924 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature