Persistent loneliness due to COVID-19 over 18 months of the pandemic: A prospective cohort study.

TitlePersistent loneliness due to COVID-19 over 18 months of the pandemic: A prospective cohort study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsKotwal, AA, Batio, S, Wolf, MS, Covinsky, KE, Benavente, JYoshino, Perissinotto, CM, O'Conor, RM
JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
Volume70
Issue12
Pagination3469-3479
Date Published2022 Dec
ISSN1532-5415
KeywordsAged, COVID-19, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Pandemics, Physical Distancing, Prospective Studies
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Loneliness was common early in the COVID-19 pandemic due to physical distancing measures, but little is known about how loneliness persisted into later stages of the pandemic. We therefore examined longitudinal trajectories of loneliness over 18 months of the pandemic and subgroups at risk for persistent loneliness.

METHODS: We used data from the COVID-19 & Chronic Conditions study collected between March 27, 2020 to December 10, 2021, including 641 predominantly older adults with ≥1 chronic condition who completed six interviews at approximately 3 month intervals. Participants reported loneliness (defined as some, most, or all of the time) during the past week due to COVID-19. We used trajectory mixture models to identify clusters of individuals following similar trajectories of loneliness, then determined subgroups likely to be classified in different loneliness trajectories using multivariable regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical covariates.

RESULTS: Participants were on average 63 years old, 61% female, 30% Black, 20% Latinx, and 29% were living below the poverty level. There was an overall reduction in loneliness over time (March to April/2020: 51% to September to December/2021: 31%, p = 0.01). Four distinct trajectory groups emerged: (1) "Persistent Loneliness" (n = 101, 16%); (2) "Adapted" (n = 141, 22%), individuals who were initially lonely, with feelings of loneliness decreasing over time; (3) "Occasional loneliness" (n = 189, 29%); and (4) "Never lonely" (n = 211, 33%). Subgroups at highest risk of the "Persistently Lonely" trajectory included those identifying as Latinx (aOR 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 5.2), or living in poverty (aOR 2.5; 95% CI: 1.4, 4.6).

CONCLUSIONS: Although loneliness declined for a majority of older adults during the pandemic in our sample, persistent loneliness attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic was common (1 in 6 adults), particularly among individuals identifying as Hispanic/Latinx or living in poverty. Interventions addressing loneliness can ease pandemic-related suffering, and may mitigate long-term mental and physical health consequences.

DOI10.1111/jgs.18010
Alternate JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
PubMed ID36054661
PubMed Central IDPMC9539351
Grant ListR01AG030611-S1 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
K23 AG065438 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG030611 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
K01 AG070107 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
UL1 TR001422 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
R03AG064323 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P30 AG059988 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P30 AG044281 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States