Loneliness trajectories and predictors in Spain: Results from the Spanish longitudinal study on aging and health (Edad con Salud)
Background: In recent years, loneliness has been recognized as a public health problem, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify groups of people with different trajectories of loneliness, and to explore potential determinants (sociodemographic, social, psychological, and he...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Fundació Sant Joan de Déu |
| Repositorio: | r-FSJD. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica de la Fundació Sant Joan de Déu |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:fsjd.fundanetsuite.com:p28227 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://fsjd.fundanetsuite.com/Publicaciones/ProdCientif/PublicacionFrw.aspx?id=28227 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Loneliness Subjective social isolation Longitudinal trajectories Mixture modeling Risk factors |
| Sumario: | Background: In recent years, loneliness has been recognized as a public health problem, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify groups of people with different trajectories of loneliness, and to explore potential determinants (sociodemographic, social, psychological, and health-related) associated with these trajectories. Methods: In this 12-year longitudinal study, we analyzed data on 4537 Spanish adults from a nationwide representative survey. A growth mixture modeling approach was used to identify different loneliness trajectories and logistic regressions to explore the determinants of these trajectories. Results: Two trajectory classes were identified: low-stable (87.86 %) and high-fluctuating (12.14 %). Marital status, living status, migration, social isolation, depression, suicidal ideation, and cognitive complaints were identified as significant determinants of belonging to the high-fluctuating trajectory. Conversely, social support, social trust, and life satisfaction were protective factors for this trajectory. Conclusion: This study revealed the presence of diverse courses of loneliness (each showing some distinctive characteristics from the other), outlining some relevant implications for the assessment, prevention, and management of loneliness. |
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