Loneliness from Young Adulthood to Old Age: Explaining Age Differences in Loneliness

Autor/inn/en	Hawkley, Louise C.; Buecker, Susanne; Kaiser, Till; Luhmann, Maike
Titel	Loneliness from Young Adulthood to Old Age: Explaining Age Differences in Loneliness
Quelle	In: International Journal of Behavioral Development, 46 (2022) 1, S.39-49 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Hawkley, Louise C.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0165-0254
DOI	10.1177/0165025420971048
Schlagwörter	Psychological Patterns; Predictor Variables; Age Differences; Adults; Foreign Countries; Individual Characteristics; Socioeconomic Status; Family Structure; Marital Status; Health; Religion; Interpersonal Relationship; Employment Level; Racial Differences; Ethnicity; Gender Differences; Germany; General Social Survey + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Prädiktor; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Ausland; Personality characteristic; Personality traits; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Socio-economic status; Sozioökonomischer Status; Familienkonstellation; Familiensystem; Familienstand; Gesundheit; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Beschäftigungsgrad; Rassenunterschied; Ethnizität; Geschlechterkonflikt; Deutschland
Abstract	Prior research in non-U.S. samples has found a complex nonlinear relationship between loneliness and age. This research has shown that established predictors of loneliness--poor health, being unmarried, living alone, and having infrequent social interactions--help to explain age differences in loneliness. However, while some variables were found to be universal predictors of loneliness at all ages, others were relevant in specific age groups only. In this study, we describe age differences in frequency of loneliness from age 18 to 89+ years in the U.S. and examine age differences in predictors of loneliness from age-specificity and age-normative perspectives. We used cross-sectional nationally representative data from the General Social Survey (N = 2,477) and found a nonlinear relationship between age and loneliness that closely resembles prior research. However, we found no evidence for age-specific predictors of loneliness. Household income, household size, marital status, health, and frequency of socializing were "universal" predictors of loneliness; their associations with loneliness did not differ in strength with age. Our hypothesis that individuals who deviated from age-specific norms would experience more intense loneliness was not supported. Implications for research and loneliness interventions are discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01