Interseccionalidad (factores sociodemográficos y sanitarios) de la soledad en adultos mayores de la Región de Murcia

Abstract

Background: Unwanted loneliness is being a scourge on society. The consequences of loneliness and social isolation are very common in older adults, being associated with worsening of both physical and mental health. A meta-analysis showed that loneliness and social isolation are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality of 26% and 29%, respectively. This increased mortality risk is similar to the risk of smoking 15 cigarettes a day or heavy alcohol consumption. It has also been associated with increased depression and cognitive decline. Loneliness, especially in adolescents and the elderly, has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the social distancing measures adopted. Hypothesis: The subjective prevalence of loneliness in people over 60 years of age and its demographic, social and health conditions in the Region of Murcia are comparable to those of Spain and Europe. General objectives: To investigate the sociodemographic and health determinants of subjective loneliness in the population over 60 years of age in the Region of Murcia, by areas and municipalities. Identify populations at higher risk of loneliness and seek appropriate intervention strategies to prevent and treat it. Methods: A cross-sectional study, data are from 1,003 participants over 60 years of age (mean age of 77.32 (range: 62-99) and 70.1% were women and 29.9% men) from the Region of Murcia, Spain. The independent variables analyzed included sociodemographic indicators and health conditions, and loneliness was assessed by both the ESTE II and UCLA scales. Results: Loneliness prevalence results to the medium-high level were 52% (ESTE II) and 47.8% (UCLA). Of all the independent variables analyzed as coexistence, marital status (widowed followed by single), age (higher at older age), low level of education, presence of multi-morbidities and low-medium socioeconomic level and living in an urban space had a positive correlation with loneliness, being the absence of expending free time the most significant variable, which increased 4.24 times (ESTE II), 3.83 times (UCLA) the risk of being lonely, which was higher among those people who experiencing barriers to social life and were feeling alone compared to those who were feeling accompanied. Importantly, the percentage of average degree of loneliness is higher in ancestors who have only had sons, when compare with those who have at least one daughter. Conclusion: The analysis of loneliness in people over 60 years of age, in all the municipalities of the Region of Murcia, underlines that loneliness is related with lifestyle and social factors affecting people who spend their free time in unwanted solitude and people who live in an urban environment with limited socioeconomic and educational level and with some chronic illness. But when including a gender dimension in the analysis the results indicate that even if the majority of people suffering loneliness are elderly women and those without daughters, the highest risk of loneliness is an elderly man who lives alone without any partner. These findings underline both the importance of gender disaggregation in examining loneliness in elderly population and the interest of knowing the risk factors in order to develop programs and strategies preventing the increased prevalence of loneliness.