Summary: A new study has revealed a causal link between chronic loneliness and early mortality in middle-aged women. Researchers analyzed data from over 15 years of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health and found that persistent loneliness increased the risk of death threefold.
Women who reported loneliness throughout the study had a 15% chance of dying early, compared to 5% for those who never felt lonely. The findings underscore the urgent need to treat loneliness as a serious health risk, on par with other clinical concerns like high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Key Facts:
- Causal Link: Persistent loneliness triples the risk of early death.
- Long-Term Study: Findings are based on 15 years of health data from over 57,000 women.
- Dose-Response Effect: More frequent reports of loneliness led to higher mortality risk.
Source: University of Sydney
New research by experts at the University of Sydney has established for the first time a causal link between loneliness and early mortality among middle-aged Australian women.
The study, published in BMJ Medicine, analysed data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, a population-based survey that started in 1996 to explore the factors contributing to the health and wellbeing of over 57,000 women in Australia.
It found that women who felt lonely over an extended period of time were three times more likely to die early than women who did not report feelings of loneliness.
The report’s senior author, Professor Melody Ding from the Sydney School of Public Health, said: “Loneliness is a common experience worldwide – as many as one in three Australian adults feeling lonely during their lives – but when feeling lonely becomes chronic or persists long-term, it may impact a person’s health.”
Loneliness has long been linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and the development of dementia but until now there has been no research that showed a causal link between loneliness and mortality, and few studies have examined the persistent experience of loneliness over a long period.
Methodology
The researchers used two decades of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, which asked women to answer survey questions about their health and wellbeing on a three-yearly basis.
The researchers looked specifically at data from women aged between 48 and 55 at the start of the study, and tracked their health outcomes over the following 15 years.
From this, the researchers discovered that women who did not report loneliness at any point in the 15-year period had a 5 percent risk of dying. However, if women reported feeling lonely throughout the study period, the risk of death tripled to 15 percent.
The study also found a dose dependent relationship between the persistence of loneliness and the risk of mortality, meaning that the more frequently a person reported feeling lonely, the greater their chance of an early death.
Although there is no equivalent longitudinal data looking at the long-term health of men, Professor Ding said that mid-life is a period of transition that may affect women more adversely:
“In middle-age, women are more likely to be the primary caregivers for both young children and elderly parents, as well as going through major physical, psychological and social changes in status such as menopause, retirement and children moving away from home. All of which may affect how socially connected a woman feels.”
Lead author Dr Neta HaGani said that she hopes the research will lead to further studies into the underlying mechanisms for the relationship between loneliness and early morality:
“The research is clear that loneliness not only correlates with existing health problems but causes them. Loneliness is a risk factor that should be screened for by clinicians, just as we would screen for high blood pressure or cholesterol. We also need to raise the public awareness of loneliness to demystify and destigmatise loneliness.”
About this loneliness and mortality research news
Author: Katie Spenceley
Source: University of Sydney
Contact: Katie Spenceley – University of Sydney
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Loneliness and all-cause mortality in middle-aged Australian women: A causal inference analysis of longitudinal data” by Neta HaGani et al. BMJ Medicine
Abstract
Loneliness and all-cause mortality in middle-aged Australian women: A causal inference analysis of longitudinal data
Objective
To examine the causal effects of loneliness on mortality among Australian women aged 45 years and older.
Design
Causal inference analysis of longitudinal data.
Participants
A population based sample of Australian women aged 45 years and older (n=11 412).
Main outcome measures
Targeted maximum likelihood estimations were used to analyse the causal relationship between loneliness and all cause mortality over 18 years. The adjusted risk of death associated with the total number of loneliness waves (loneliness persistency) and the consecutive number of loneliness waves (loneliness chronicity) was presented using risk ratios and risk differences with 99.5% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
The association between the number of waves of reported loneliness and mortality risk showed a dose-dependent pattern. Compared with women who did not report loneliness in any wave, people who reported loneliness at two, four, and six waves had an incrementally higher risk of dying during the follow-up period: risk ratio 1.49 (99.5% CI 1.26 to 1.75) at two waves, 2.18 (1.79 to 2.66) at four waves, and 3.15 (2.35 to 4.23) at six waves.
The risk difference showed a similar trend to the risk ratios with higher excess mortality among women who reported experiencing loneliness for six waves compared with those who did not report loneliness at all (10.86% (99.5% CI 10.58% to 11.15%)). Similar trends were found when loneliness was experienced across consecutive waves.
Conclusions
Loneliness seems to be causally linked to mortality risk with a dose-dependent relationship. Acknowledging loneliness as an independent health risk underscores the importance of screening for loneliness and incorporating public health interventions into healthcare practices.
