The Relationship Between Loneliness and Positive Affect in Older Adults

•What is the primary question addressed by this study?We investigated the association of positive affect with loneliness and complementary aspects of social functioning beyond negative affect, an established correlate of loneliness, among 429 older adults.•What is the main finding of the study?Posit...

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Veröffentlicht in:The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2022-06, Vol.30 (6), p.678-685
Hauptverfasser: Davidson, Eliza J., Taylor, Charles T., Ayers, Catherine R., Quach, Natalie E., Tu, Xin M., Lee, Ellen E.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:•What is the primary question addressed by this study?We investigated the association of positive affect with loneliness and complementary aspects of social functioning beyond negative affect, an established correlate of loneliness, among 429 older adults.•What is the main finding of the study?Positive affect was found to be significantly predictive of social functioning variables of loneliness, companionship, and satisfaction with social activities, independent of negative affect and when controlling for relevant demographic characteristics.•What is the meaning of the finding?Given that positive affect likely facilitates greater social connectedness, positive affect-targeted interventions may improve social connectedness and reduce loneliness for older adults. To establish whether positive affect (PA) is uniquely associated with loneliness and other social functioning variables beyond negative affect (NA) among older adults. Four hundred and twenty-eight participants (aged 60+ years old, 82% White, and 48% female) were recruited using random digit-dialing and completed scales for loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale), companionship (PROMIS scale), satisfaction with discretionary social activities (PROMIS scale), PA (Center for Epidemiologic Studies [CES] Happiness Scale), and NA (CES-Depression scale and Brief Symptom Inventory-Anxiety Subscale). Multiple linear regression models found PA to be a significant predictor of lower loneliness where the effect of PA on loneliness is dependent on the level of NA; a large effect size at the mean level of NA, which becomes attenuated when NA increases. Although the direction of effect of PA on loneliness will change for NA > 5.10, which is 5 standard deviations away from 0, based on the model estimates, the percent of subjects with this large NA levels is practically 0. Thus, higher PA is associated with lower loneliness, however this effect is attenuated for larger NA. Similarly, multiple linear regression models found that companionship was associated with PA and NA where the effect of PA is dependent on the level of NA; a medium effect size at the mean level of NA, which becomes attenuated when NA increases. As in the case of loneliness, the direction of effect of PA on companionship will change for NA > 3.52, which is 3.5 standard deviation away from 0, based on the model estimates, but the percent of subjects with this large NA levels is practically 0. Thus, higher PA is associated with increased companionship,
ISSN:1064-7481
1545-7214
DOI:10.1016/j.jagp.2021.11.002