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Loneliness in senior housing communities
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Loneliness in senior housing communities

Harry Owen Taylor, Yi Wang and Nancy Morrow-Howell
Journal of gerontological social work, Vol.61(6), pp.623-639
08/18/2018
DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2018.1478352
PMCID: PMC6938254
PMID: 29791279
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/6938254View
Open Access

Abstract

There are many studies on loneliness among community-dwelling older adults; however, there is limited research examining the extent and correlates of loneliness among older adults who reside in senior housing communities. This study examines the extent and correlates of loneliness in three public senior housing communities in the St. Louis area. Data for this project was collected with survey questionnaires with a total sample size of 148 respondents. Loneliness was measured using the Hughes 3-item loneliness scale. Additionally, the questionnaire contained measures on socio-demographics, health/mental health, social engagement, and social support. Missing data for the hierarchical multivariate regression models were imputed using multiple imputation methods. Results showed approximately 30.8% of the sample was not lonely, 42.7% was moderately lonely, and 26.6% was severely lonely. In the multivariate analyses, loneliness was primarily associated with depressive symptoms. Contrary to popular opinion, our study found the prevalence of loneliness was high in senior housing communities. Nevertheless, senior housing communities could be ideal locations for reducing loneliness among older adults. Interventions should focus on concomitantly addressing both an individual's loneliness and mental health.
 depressive symptoms Loneliness senior housing communities

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