Factors associated with quality of life and the use of public healthcare and social services in older adults experiencing loneliness
Objectives: The aim of this study is to understand how different measures of loneliness affect the quality-of-life of older adults and their use of social and healthcare services. Study design: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted, administering a survey to 1003 non-institutionalize...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Fundación Dialnet. Universidad de La Rioja |
| Repositorio: | RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/45742 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100673 https://hdl.handle.net/10578/45742 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | 3-Item UCLA loneliness scale Healthcare services Loneliness Older adults Prevalence Quality-of-life Social Services |
| Sumario: | Objectives: The aim of this study is to understand how different measures of loneliness affect the quality-of-life of older adults and their use of social and healthcare services. Study design: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted, administering a survey to 1003 non-institutionalized individuals aged 65 years or over in Spain. Methods: Data on sociodemographic variables, quality-of-life, and the use of social and healthcare services were collected. The prevalence of loneliness was analyzed using various measures, while its relationship with quality-of-life and the use of social and healthcare services was assessed through linear and logistic regression models, adjusting for other factors. Results: Loneliness reduced quality-of-life by between 11.1 % and 20.7 %. Of the social and health services analyzed, we found that loneliness increased the likelihood of using home help services by a factor of 1.75–2.36 and increased the number of visits to primary care/nursing services by a factor of 1.51–1.70. Conclusions: Loneliness has detrimental effects on quality-of-life. Moreover, it may negatively impact health status, leading to increased use of social and healthcare services. |
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