Understanding the Effect of Loneliness on Quality of Life in Older Adults from Longitudinal Approaches

• Autores: Zaira Torres, Amparo Oliver Germes, Jose Manuel Tomás Miguel
• Localización: Psychosocial Intervention, ISSN 1132-0559, Vol. 33, Nº. 3, 2024, págs. 171-178
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Aim: To study the longitudinal relationship between loneliness and quality of life (QoL) in adults to identify key mechanisms to better design future psychosocial interventions. Method: 13,222 participants from three consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), aged 65 or older, 56.3% women. They were analyzed using cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM), and multi-group models disaggregated by gender. Results: The RI-CLPM provided a better fit than the CLPM. Both models showed the stability of QoL and loneliness. All autoregressive paths were significant, and a negative association between concurrent QoL and loneliness was observed across all waves. The CLPM supported a reciprocal relationship, while the RI-CLPM only confirmed the effects of loneliness on QoL. Women reported higher levels of loneliness and poorer QoL, but no gender differences were identified in the longitudinal association. Conclusions: Addressing loneliness in early stages could be a better preventive measure to promote quality of life in both genders.