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“Where are all the lonely people?” A population-based study of high-risk groups across the life span

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Abstract

Background

Loneliness is a prevalent and urgent public health issue. Optimal planning of community approaches to loneliness requires a differentiated understanding of loneliness across the life span. We identified groups at high risk of loneliness by exploring the relationship between loneliness and socio-demographic and health-related factors across multiple age groups.

Methods

This was a combined population-based questionnaire survey and register data study based on a representative sample, including 33,285 Danish individuals aged 16–102 years. Loneliness was measured using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale.

Results

The relation between loneliness and age took a shallow U-shaped distribution. Ethnic minority status, receiving disability pensions or being unemployed, living alone, prolonged mental disorder, and psychiatric treatment were strongly associated with severe loneliness. Socio-demographic and health-related factors were associated with an increased risk of severe loneliness in specific age groups. Being female, having a low educational level and living in a deprived area were only associated with loneliness in adolescence/emerging adulthood. Receiving disability pensions and living alone (i.e., divorced), on the other hand, were strongly associated with loneliness in early and middle adulthood and young-old age.

Conclusion

Ethnic minority status, living alone, and prolonged mental disorder may well be key factors in determining the generic level of loneliness in a given population. Other conditions are associated with an increased risk of severe loneliness in specific age groups and may moderate the age–loneliness relation. These findings may help to identify populations within communities at risk of loneliness and thereby support the implementation of policies and public health interventions across the life span.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the TRYG Foundation, the Health Foundation (Helsefonden), and the Mary Foundation. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. Moreover, the authors would like to extend their gratitude to Finn Breinholt Larsen, Julie Christiansen and Sidsel Reese (DEFACTUM—Public Health & Health Services Research, Central Denmark Region) and to Jes Bak Sørensen and Mia Saskia Olesen (City of Aarhus) for their helpful comments and assistance. The study was conducted as part of a cohabitation project aiming to reduce loneliness in the City of Aarhus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DEFACTUM - Public Health & Health Services Research, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus, Denmark

    Mathias Lasgaard & Karina Friis

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Mathias Lasgaard

  3. School of Psychology and Psychology Research Institute, Ulster University, Magee campus, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK

    Mark Shevlin

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  1. Mathias Lasgaard
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Correspondence to Mathias Lasgaard.

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Lasgaard, M., Friis, K. & Shevlin, M. “Where are all the lonely people?” A population-based study of high-risk groups across the life span. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 51, 1373–1384 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1279-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1279-3

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