Widowhood, widowhood duration, and loneliness among older adults in China

Widowhood is a distressful life event that is associated with loneliness in older adults. However, widowhood is not a binary event, and little is known about the role of widowhood duration in loneliness and about the relationship between widowhood duration and loneliness in different age and sex groups. Given the increases in aging population and in widowed older adults in China, we examined whether and how widowhood and widowhood duration were associated with loneliness in different age and sex groups among Chinese older adults. Five waves of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey 2002–2014 were used. The analysis included 34,440 sampled individuals aged 65 and above. Random intercept ordered logistic models were used to examine relations between widowhood, its duration and loneliness in the entire sample and by age and sex groups. Results show that with a wide set of covariates controlled for, widowhood was a significant correlate of loneliness in older adults (OR = 2.34, p