Determinants of Trends in Loneliness Among Dutch Older People Over the Period 2005-2010

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the influence of socio-demographic, health, and municipal characteristics on trends in loneliness among community-dwelling elderly people. Method: Data were gathered from 4,868 and 4,773 non-institutionalized elderly people aged 65 years and above in a health survey in 2005 and 2010, respectively. Crude and adjusted multilevel models were analyzed to study the independent associations of study year and socio-demographic, health, and municipal characteristics with loneliness. Results: Overall and across municipalities, loneliness estimates did not significantly differ between 2005 and 2010. However, among the sub-group with activity limitations, loneliness was higher in 2010 compared with 2005. Discussion: This study indicates a constant trend in loneliness in the total population and across sub-groups with the exception of participants with one or more activity limitations, where loneliness increased. Individual socio-demographic and health characteristics were explanatory factors for variation in loneliness over time, whereas municipal characteristics were not.

Keywords

loneliness elderly people trends activity limitations public health

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Broese van Groenou

Hoogendijk

E. O.

van Tilburg

T. G.

(2013). Continued and new personal relationships in later life: Differential effects of health. Journal of Aging and Health, 25, 274-295. doi:10.1177/0898264312468033

Coalitie Erbij. (2013). Over Coalitie Erbij. Retrieved from http://www.eenzaam.nl/over%20Coalitie%20Erbij

Cohen-Mansfield

Parpura-Gill

(2007). Loneliness in older persons: A theoretical model and empirical findings. International Psychogeriatrics, 19, 279-294. doi:10.1017/s1041610206004200

De Jong Gierveld

(1998). A review of loneliness: Concept and definitions, determinants and consequences. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 8, 73-80.

De Jong Gierveld

Dykstra

P. A.

(2008). Virtue is its own reward? Support-giving in the family and loneliness in middle and old age. Ageing & Society, 28, 271-287.

De Jong Gierveld

Kamphuis

(1985). The development of a Rasch-type loneliness scale. Applied Psychological Measurement, 9, 289-299.

De Jong Gierveld

Van Tilburg

(1999). Manual of the loneliness scale (Updated from the printed version: 23-11-2011). Retrieved from http://home.fsw.vu.nl/tg.van.tilburg/manual_loneliness_scale_1999.html

Döring

(1997). Einsamkeit in der “Informationsgesellschaft.” ZUMA-Nachrichten, 40, 36-52.

Dykstra

P. A.

(2009). Older adult loneliness: Myths and realities. European Journal of Ageing, 6, 91-100.

10.

Dykstra

P. A.

De Jong Gierveld

(1999). Differentiële kansen op eenzaamheid onder ouderen: De betekenis van type partnerrelatie, partnergeschiedenis, gezondheid, sociaal-economische positie en sociale relaties [Loneliness differentials among older adults: The importance of type of partner, partner history, health, socioeconomic position, and social relationships]. Tijdschrift Voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie, 30, 212-225.

11.

Dykstra

P. A.

Van Tilburg

T. G.

de Jong Gierveld

(2005). Changes in older adult loneliness: Results from a seven-year longitudinal study. Research on Aging, 27, 725-747.

12.

Fokkema

C. M.

Van Tilburg

T. G.

(2007). Zin en onzin van eenzaamheidsinterventies bij ouderen [Loneliness interventions among older adults: Sense and nonsense]. Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie, 38, 185-203.

13.

Fry

P. S.

Debats

D. L.

(2002). Self-efficacy beliefs as predictors of loneliness and psychological distress in older adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 55, 233-269. doi:10.2190/kbvp-l2te-2ery-bh26

14.

GGD Gelre-IJssel. (2006). Ouderenonderzoek 2005 [Survey among elderly people 2005] (Kenniscentrum, Trans.). Doetinchem, The Netherlands: GGD Gelre-IJssel.

15.

GGD Gelre-IJssel. (2011). Ouderenonderzoek 2010 [Survey among elderly people 2010] (Kenniscentrum, Trans.). Doetinchem, The Netherlands: GGD Gelre-IJssel.

16.

Golden

Conroy

R. M.

Bruce

Denihan

Greene

Kirby

Lawlor

B. A.

(2009). Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24, 694-700. doi:10.1002/gps.2181.

17.

Heylen

(2010). The older, the lonelier? Risk factors for social loneliness in old age. Ageing & Society, 30, 1177-1196. doi:10.1017/S0144686X10000292

18.

Jylhä

(2004). Old age and loneliness: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in the Tampere Longitudinal Study on Aging. Canadian Journal on Aging/Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 23(Special Issue/Numéro special 02), 157-168. doi:10.1353/cja.2004.0023

19.

Konig-Zahn

Furer

J. W.

Tax

(1993). Enkelvoudige vraag naar de subjectieve inschatting van de algemene gezondheidstoestand [Single-item question to estimate self-perceived health] In Konig-Zahn

Furer

J. W.

Tax

(Eds.), Het meten van de gezondheidstoestand: beschrijving en evaluatie van vragenlijsten 1: Algemene gezondheid [Measuring health status: description and evaluation of questionnaires 1: General health]. Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum.

20.

McWhinnie

(1981). Disability assessment in population surveys: Results of the OECD common development effort. Revue d’Epidëmiologique et Santé Publique, 29, 413-419.

21.

Meulenkamp

van der Hoek

Cardol

(2013). Deelname aan de samenleving van mensen met een beperking, ouderen en de algemene bevolking [Participation of people with limitations, elderly people and the general population]. Utrecht, The Netherlands: NIVEL.

22.

Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport. (2011). Landelijke nota gezondheidsbeleid, Gezondheid dichtbij [National health policy, Health nearby]. Den Haag, The Netherlands.

23.

Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport. (2012). Kamerbrief over eenzaamheid [Letter to the parliament about loneliness]. Den Haag. Retrieved from http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/kamerstukken/2012/10/30/kamerbrief-over-eenzaamheid.html

24.

Moorer

Suurmeijer

(1993). Unidimensionality and cumulativeness of the loneliness scale using Mokken-scale-analysis for polychotomous items. Psychological Reports, 73, 1324-1326.

25.

Naaldenberg

Vaandrager

Koelen

Leeuwis

(2011). Aging populations’ everyday life perspectives on healthy aging: New insights for policy and strategies at the local level. Journal of Applied Gerontology. Retrieved from http://jag.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/01/29/0733464810397703.abstract doi:10.1177/0733464810397703

26.

Paúl

Ribeiro

(2009). Predicting loneliness in old people living in the community. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 19, 53-60. doi:10.1017/s0959259809990074

27.

Pinquart

Sörensen

(2001). Influences on loneliness in older adults: A meta-analysis. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 23, 245-266. doi:10.1207/153248301753225702

28.

Pronk

Deeg

D. J. H.

Smits

Van Tilburg

T. G.

Kuik

D. J.

Festen

J. M.

Kramer

S. E.

(2011). Prospective effects of hearing status on loneliness and depression in older persons: Identification of subgroups. International Journal of Audiology, 50, 887-896. doi:10.3109/14992027.2011.599871

29.

Rashbash

Steele

Browne

Goldstein

(2009). Multilevel analysis with MLwiN Software: A user’s guide to MLwiN version 2.10. Bristol, UK: Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol.

30.

Savikko

Routasalo

Tilvis

R. S.

Strandberg

T. E.

Pitkälä

K. H.

(2005). Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged population. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 41, 223-233. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2005.03.002

31.

Scharf

De Jong Gierveld

(2008). Loneliness in urban neighbourhoods: An Anglo-Dutch comparison. European Journal of Ageing, 5, 103-15.

32.

Statistics Netherlands. Gemiddelde bevolking: geslacht, leeftijd, burgerlijke staat en regio [Average population: Gender, age, marital status and region]. Retrieved from http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/publication/?VW=T&DM=SLnl&PA=70233ned&LA=nl

33.

Stephens

Alpass

Towers

Stevenson

(2011). The effects of types of social networks, perceived social support, and loneliness on the health of older people. Journal of Aging and Health, 23, 887-911. doi:10.1177/0898264311400189

34.

Stevens

Westerhof

G. J.

(2006). Marriage, social integration, and loneliness in the second half of life: A comparison of Dutch and German men and women. Research on Aging, 28, 713-729. doi:10.1177/0164027506291747

35.

Tijhuis

M. A. R.

De Jong Gierveld

Feskens

E. J. M.

Kromhout

(1999). Changes in and factors related to loneliness in older men. The Zutphen Elderly Study. Age and Ageing, 28, 491-495.

36.

Vanderleyden

Heylen

(2007). Ouderen, hun sociale contacten en de beleving ervan: continuiteit of verandering? [Elderly people, their social contacts and experiences: Stable or changing?]. Tijdschrift voor Sociologie, 28, 52-78.

37.

Van der Star

Soeterboek

(2007). Gezondheidsprofiel regio Nijmegen 2007; lokale, regionale en landelijke cijfers ter onderbouwing van het lokaal gezondheidsbeleid [Health profile region Nijmegen 2007; local, regional and national figures to support local health policy]. Nijmegen, The Netherlands: GGD Nijmegen.

38.

Van Duin

Garssen

(2010). Bevolkingsprognose 2010-2060: sterkere vergrij-zing, langere levensduur [Population prognostication 2010-2060: Ageing society, increasing life expectancy]. Den Haag: Statistics Netherlands.

39.

Van Goor

(2009). Selective loss of participants as a consequence of under-coverage and non-response in research among the aged: An overview [Het Zwitserlevengevoel. Selectieve uitval door onderdekking en non-respons in onderzoek naar ouderen: Een overzicht]. Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie, 40, 2-16.

40.

Van Tilburg

De Leeuw

(1991). Stability of scale quality under various data collection procedures: A mode comparison on the De Jong-Gierveld loneliness scale. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 3, 69-85. doi:10.1093/ijpor/3.1.69

41.

Van Tilburg

T. G.

De Jong Gierveld

(1999). Cesuurbepaling van de eenzaamheidsschaal [Cutting scores on the De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale]. Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie, 30, 158-163.

42.

Victor

C. R.

Scambler

S. J.

Bowling

Bond

(2005). The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: A survey of older people in Great Britain. Ageing and Society, 25, 357-375. doi:10.1017/s0144686x04003332

43.

Victor

C. R.

Scambler

S. J.

Shah

Cook

D. G.

Harris

Rink

De Wilde

(2002). Has loneliness amongst older people increased? An investigation into variations between cohorts. Ageing and Society, 22, 585-597. doi:10.1017/s0144686x02008784

44.

Wenger

G. C.

Davies

Shahtahmasebi

Scott

(1996). Social isolation and loneliness in old age: Review and model refinement. Ageing and Society, 16, 333-358.

45.

Zantinge

E. M.

van der Wilk

E. A.

van Wieren

Schoenmaker

C. G.

(2011). Gezond ouder worden in Nederland [Healthy ageing in the Netherlands]. Bilthoven, The Netherlands: Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu.