A Life Course Approach Investigating the Mechanisms Underlying the Relationship between Loneliness and Health and Wellbeing in Retired Older Adults, using Mixed Methods

Abstract

Loneliness, or the negatively perceived discrepancy between desired and realised social relationships, has long been considered detrimental to health. This research sought to discover what is it that allows loneliness to be detrimental to the health of some, but not all, retired older adults. A state-of-the-art review identified the Meikirch model of health, and several theories and models relating to the association between detrimental loneliness and health. In conjunction with the life course approach, these models were drawn together to inform the development of a novel theoretical framework to underpin the study design, conduct, and analyses reported herein. An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was deployed, involving both quantitative and qualitative techniques. In addition to investigating the correlates of loneliness and health, the study aimed to identify which factors may mitigate or aggravate the impact of detrimental loneliness on health. Individual perceptions of loneliness and old age were also explored. A total of 266 participants were recruited and completed a quantitative survey. Forty-one of the initial participant group were followed up with an unstructured narrative interview. The prevalence of loneliness was found to be greatest among the male participants, however, no significant differences were noted between the health scores of the male and female participants. Correlational analyses identified the presence of a negative association between individual scores of loneliness, and personal wellbeing. Thematic analyses of the qualitative data highlighted the importance of adverse childhood experiences on individual ability to cope with loneliness in later life, as well as underlining the importance of personally acquired potentials to mitigate the negative effects of loneliness on individual health and wellbeing. This study has generated evidence to support the proposition that the failure to develop adequate personally acquired potentials during the life course, will leave the older individual vulnerable to the detrimental influence of loneliness on their health and wellbeing.