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Close social relationships and loneliness: the role of subjective age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2019

Naama Spitzer ,
Dikla Segel-Karpas Open the ORCID record for Dikla Segel-Karpas [Opens in a new window]  and
Yuval Palgi
Naama Spitzer*
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Dikla Segel-Karpas
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Yuval Palgi
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Naama Spitzer, Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel. E-mail: Naama_sp@hotmail.com.
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Abstract

Loneliness is considered a major issue, often negatively influencing the quality of life of individuals of all ages, and of older adults, in particular. The aims of this study are: (1) to assess the association between close social relationships and loneliness; and (2) to examine the moderating role of subjective age in this association. Married or cohabiting community-dwelling Israelis in the second half of life (N = 360) were interviewed and reported on their close social relationships, their level of loneliness, and their subjective age. The number of close social relationships was found to have a negative relationship with loneliness. Moreover, subjective age was found to moderate the relationship between close social relationships and loneliness, such that the association was weaker for those with older subjective age. Those with older subjective age are often not able to benefit from close social relationships to alleviate loneliness as much as their younger-subjective-age counterparts. Efforts to address older adults’ loneliness should consider focusing on older adults’ perceptions of aging.

Keywords

lonelinessclose social relationshipssubjective ageolder adults
Type
Brief Report
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 34 , Special Issue 7: Issue Theme: Wisdom, Loneliness, and Other Behavioral Traits , July 2022 , pp. 651 - 655
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2019

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