Family Types and Life Satisfaction in Later Life: Understanding the Mediating Roles of Emotional and Social Loneliness

Background and Purpose: Close kin (i.e., a partner and children) have been identified as the primary source of social support in later life, while the absence of these familial ties has been linked to increased loneliness, which in turn may contribute to lower life satisfaction. However, two dimensions of loneliness–emotional loneliness (the absence of intimate attachments) and social loneliness (inadequate social relationships)–have been found to have distinct associations with family structure and may differentially impact well-being. Whether and to what extent these dimensions of loneliness mediate the relationship between the lack of familial ties and life satisfaction remains unclear. Thus, this study examined the mediating roles of emotional and social loneliness in the association between different family types and life satisfaction among adults over 50.

Methods: Data were drawn from the 2016 and 2018 Health and Retirement Study (N=9,963). Family types were categorized into four types: has partner and children (N=5,973); has partner, no children (N=327); has children, no partner (N=3,106); no partner, no children (N=557). Emotional and social loneliness were assessed using selected items from the 11-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, informed by prior research. Cronbach alphas for all scales were over 0.8, showing good internal consistency. Covariables included sociodemographic factors (age, gender, race, education years, work status, and residential location) and health indicators (self-reported health and depressive symptoms). A parallel mediation analysis using SPSS version 29, PROCESS Macro 4.2, with indirect effects assessed with 5,000 bootstrap samples and significance set at p<.05.

Results: ANOVA results showed significant differences across family types for emotional loneliness (F(3,9959)=247.72, p<.001), social loneliness (F(3,9959)=11.39, p<.001), and life satisfaction (F(3,9959)=97.39, p<.001). Adults without a partner and children experienced the highest emotional loneliness and lowest life satisfaction, whereas social loneliness did not significantly differ among groups without a partner and/or children. Mediation analysis revealed emotional loneliness significantly mediated the relationship between family types and life satisfaction for those without partners but with children (B=-.151, 95% CI [-.173, -.129]) and those without both ties (B=-.190, 95% CI [-.229, -.155]). Social loneliness provided a smaller mediating pathway primarily for those without both familial ties (B=-.034, 95% CI [-.054, -.015]). Having a partner but no children showed no significant difference in life satisfaction compared to those with both familial ties.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings demonstrate that different family types impact life satisfaction through distinct loneliness pathways, with emotional loneliness playing a more substantial mediating role than social loneliness. The absence of a partner has a greater impact on life satisfaction than childlessness, primarily through increased emotional loneliness. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing emotional connection needs among individuals lacking close kin, especially for those without a partner, rather than focusing solely on expanding social networks. Future research should examine the mechanisms underlying these associations and explore interventions tailored to older adults with different family types.