Author:
Boehlen Friederike Hildegard,Heider Dirk,Schellberg Dieter,Hohls Johanna Katharina,Schöttker Ben,Brenner Hermann,Friederich Hans-Christoph,König Hans-Helmut,Wild Beate
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Loneliness in older adults is common, particularly in women. In this article, gender differences in the association of loneliness and health care use are investigated in a large sample of community-dwelling older adults.
Methods
Data of 2525 persons (ages 55–85 years)—participants of the fourth follow- up (2011–2014) of the ESTHER study- were analyzed. Loneliness and health care use were assessed by study doctors in the course of a home visit. Gender-specific regression models with Gamma-distribution were performed using loneliness as independent variable to predict outpatient health care use, adjusted for demographic variables.
Results
In older women, lonely persons were shown to have significantly more visits to general practitioners and mental health care providers in a three-month period compared to less lonely persons (p = .005). The survey found that outpatient health care use was positively associated with loneliness, multimorbidity, and mental illness in older women but not in older men. Older men had significantly more contact with inpatient care in comparison to women (p = .02).
Conclusions
It is important to consider gender when analyzing inpatient and outpatient health care use in older persons. In older women loneliness is associated with increased use of outpatient services.
Funder
Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Geriatrics and Gerontology
Reference47 articles.
1. Fulton L, Jupp B. Investing to tackle loneliness—a discussion paper 2015. Available from: https://gulbenkian.pt/uk-branch/publication/investing-to-tackle-loneliness-a-discussion-paper/. Assessed 13 August 2022.
2. Boehlen F, Herzog W, Quinzler R, Haefeli WE, Maatouk I, Niehoff D, et al. Loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs. Int J Geriatr Psychiatr. 2015;30(9):957–64.
3. Marty PK, Novotny P, Benzo RP. Loneliness and ED visits in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Mayo Clin Proceed: Innovations Quality. 2019;3(3):350–7.
4. Wang J, Lloyd-Evans B, Marston L, Ma R, Mann F, Solmi F, et al. Epidemiology of loneliness in a cohort of UK mental health community crisis service users. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2020;55(7):811–22.
5. Holwerda TJ, Deeg DJ, Beekman AT, van Tilburg TG, Stek ML, Jonker C, et al. Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset: results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL). J Neurol Neurosurg. 2014;85(2):135–42.