Subjective feeling of isolation, not belonging or lacking companionship.
Individuals with loneliness likely to experience depression.
Common reason for suffering in older individuals.
About 53% of people age 65 years or older experience loneliness.
It is distinct from living alone, marital status or number of relationships: can live alone and not be lonely, can be married or living with others and be lonely.
Discrepancy between desired and actual relationships.
Among individuals older than 60 years loneliness is a predictor of functional decline and death (Perissinotto CM et al).
Associated with a higher risk of mortality and such individuals more likely to experience a decline in activities of daily living compared with participants that are not lonely.
Loneliness carries a higher mortality risk than smoking.
Older individuals reporting loneliness, have lower scores on measures of physical and mental health related quality of life.