Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults

Objective: Social variables have been associated with health status, especially in older people. However, it is unknown how loneliness and social isolation are differentially associated with physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to examine this associatio...

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Autores: Durán-Arias, Marcela, Yévenes Briones, Humberto Alejandro, Banegas Banegas, José Ramón, Rodríguez Artalejo, Fernando, López García, Esther, Caballero Díaz, Francisco Félix
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/748660
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10486/748660
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00905-6
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Social variables
Loneliness
Social isolation
Physical health-related quality of life
Mental health-related quality of life
Medicina
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spelling Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adultsDurán-Arias, MarcelaYévenes Briones, Humberto AlejandroBanegas Banegas, José RamónRodríguez Artalejo, FernandoLópez García, EstherCaballero Díaz, Francisco FélixSocial variablesLonelinessSocial isolationPhysical health-related quality of lifeMental health-related quality of lifeMedicinaObjective: Social variables have been associated with health status, especially in older people. However, it is unknown how loneliness and social isolation are differentially associated with physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to examine this association, overall and by sex. Methods: We used data obtained from 1808 community-dwelling individuals older than 65 years participating in the Seniors-ENRICA 2 cohort. Baseline phase was conducted between December 2015 and June 2017, and then a two-year follow-up period was considered. Loneliness was assessed using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, while social isolation was measured using a four components index, which included contact with family members and friends. HRQoL was assessed with the SF-12 questionnaire, using its physical and mental components. Multivariable linear regression models were used in the overall sample and stratified by sex. Results: Higher scores in loneliness were associated with a decrease in the physical HRQoL [Coef. = -0.31, 95% confidence interval = (-0.60, -0.01), p=0.042] and mental HRQoL [-0.76 (-1.11, -0.43), p<0.001]. There was no significant association between social isolation and HRQoL. The association between loneliness and the physical HRQoL was different by sex (p for interaction term = 0.028), and higher levels of loneliness were related to lower physical HRQoL scores only in women [-0.53 (-0.92, -0.14), p=0.007]. Conclusion: Loneliness had an independent association with HRQoL. This relationship seems to be stronger in women, which highlights the importance of a sex perspective in interventions to improve the HRQoLThis work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through four FIS projects (PI 19/665, PI 20/1040, PI 22/1111, and PI 23/272), and co-financed by a European Regional Development Fund, “A way of shaping Europe”Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública y MicrobiologíaFacultad de Medicina20262026-02-16research articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_2df8fbb1VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/10486/748660https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00905-6reponame:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAMinstname:Universidad Autónoma de MadridInglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/7486602026-06-23T12:46:27Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
title Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
spellingShingle Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
Durán-Arias, Marcela
Social variables
Loneliness
Social isolation
Physical health-related quality of life
Mental health-related quality of life
Medicina
title_short Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
title_full Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
title_fullStr Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
title_full_unstemmed Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
title_sort Loneliness, social isolation, and health-related quality of life in older adults
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Durán-Arias, Marcela
Yévenes Briones, Humberto Alejandro
Banegas Banegas, José Ramón
Rodríguez Artalejo, Fernando
López García, Esther
Caballero Díaz, Francisco Félix
author Durán-Arias, Marcela
author_facet Durán-Arias, Marcela
Yévenes Briones, Humberto Alejandro
Banegas Banegas, José Ramón
Rodríguez Artalejo, Fernando
López García, Esther
Caballero Díaz, Francisco Félix
author_role author
author2 Yévenes Briones, Humberto Alejandro
Banegas Banegas, José Ramón
Rodríguez Artalejo, Fernando
López García, Esther
Caballero Díaz, Francisco Félix
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública y Microbiología
Facultad de Medicina
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Social variables
Loneliness
Social isolation
Physical health-related quality of life
Mental health-related quality of life
Medicina
topic Social variables
Loneliness
Social isolation
Physical health-related quality of life
Mental health-related quality of life
Medicina
description Objective: Social variables have been associated with health status, especially in older people. However, it is unknown how loneliness and social isolation are differentially associated with physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to examine this association, overall and by sex. Methods: We used data obtained from 1808 community-dwelling individuals older than 65 years participating in the Seniors-ENRICA 2 cohort. Baseline phase was conducted between December 2015 and June 2017, and then a two-year follow-up period was considered. Loneliness was assessed using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, while social isolation was measured using a four components index, which included contact with family members and friends. HRQoL was assessed with the SF-12 questionnaire, using its physical and mental components. Multivariable linear regression models were used in the overall sample and stratified by sex. Results: Higher scores in loneliness were associated with a decrease in the physical HRQoL [Coef. = -0.31, 95% confidence interval = (-0.60, -0.01), p=0.042] and mental HRQoL [-0.76 (-1.11, -0.43), p<0.001]. There was no significant association between social isolation and HRQoL. The association between loneliness and the physical HRQoL was different by sex (p for interaction term = 0.028), and higher levels of loneliness were related to lower physical HRQoL scores only in women [-0.53 (-0.92, -0.14), p=0.007]. Conclusion: Loneliness had an independent association with HRQoL. This relationship seems to be stronger in women, which highlights the importance of a sex perspective in interventions to improve the HRQoL
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026
2026-02-16
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv research article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_2df8fbb1
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/10486/748660
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00905-6
url https://hdl.handle.net/10486/748660
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00905-6
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
instname:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
instname_str Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
reponame_str Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
collection Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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