Loneliness in AAPI, American Indian, and Alaskan Native Older Adults: The Impact of Physical, Social, and Cognitive Abilities

Background and Purpose: Loneliness is defined as an unpleasant distressing emotion characterized by strong feelings of emptiness, abandonment, and forlornness. Loneliness in older adults has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, systolic blood pressure, and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Social support and physical activity have been identified as protective factors for loneliness; increased social support and physical activity are associated with decreased loneliness among older adults. Further, evidence suggests that experiences of loneliness may be influenced by a combination of cultural and cognitive factors. For example, Older Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) with cognitive impairments reported higher levels of loneliness. However, few studies focus specifically on the experience of loneliness among AAPI, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. This study investigated the relationship between physical and social activity as protective factors, cognitive abilities, and loneliness in older adults, including those identifying as AAPI, American Indian, and Alaskan Native adults.

Methods: Data was drawn from the 2015-2016 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) Wave 3. This nationally representative survey included 4,377 older adults. This study focused on three primary independent variables: 1) physical activity (exercise frequency); 2) social activity (volunteering, religious involvement, friends and relatives); and 3) cognitive abilities (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). The dependent variable was loneliness. These variables, along with race/ethnicity, marital status, and household income were included in a multiple linear regression model.

Results: Regression results indicated that increased social activity was associated with a decrease in loneliness, but that physical activity and cognitive abilities were not significantly related to loneliness. Additionally, marital status was shown to be a significant predictor of loneliness; participants who were separated, divorced, widowed, or never married were more likely to experience loneliness than those who were married. Race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor of loneliness.

Conclusion and Implications: Existing research suggests that loneliness among older adults is multifaceted and influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Findings from this study show that increased social activities were associated with decreased loneliness, suggesting that increasing socialization may be a protective factor for older adults. Findings about marriage suggest that stable and predictable companionship may be an important factor in reducing loneliness. Implications for practice include interventions to increase social activities in older adults, which is needed to reduce and eliminate loneliness in older adults. Future research with older adults is needed to better understand the nature of protective social connections. Future research is also needed to explore how AAPI and other ethnic minority older adults understand loneliness in the context of trauma, immigration, linguistic isolation, and other factors that may be related to leaving their home country.