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Reflections on measures of social isolation among older adults

Nature Aging volume 3, pages 1463–1464 (2023)Cite this article

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In 2020, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine reported on opportunities for the healthcare system to address social isolation and loneliness, which are risk factors for morbidity and mortality1. Shortly after the report was released, the COVID-19 pandemic ensued — which pushed social isolation up the research and public health agendas as broad swathes of the population experienced this phenomenon. Studies demonstrate social isolation as a key risk factor for adverse physical, mental and cognitive health outcomes1,2. Despite these implications, the research community lacks consensus on how to measure social isolation, which hinders progress toward solutions to combat this challenge.

Social isolation affects 15–25% of community-dwelling older adults, but estimates vary widely owing to the lack of a uniform metric3. Literature reviews identify more than fifty measures related to social isolation4. The lack of measurement consensus and use of instruments that vary in their content, rigor and uptake inhibits progress toward building knowledge on social isolation and its consequences. Standardized measurement is crucial to assess and address the health risks of social isolation, as highlighted in a 2023 advisory from the US Surgeon General5.

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Fig. 1: Common measures of social connection.

References

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Health Services and Outcomes Research for Aging Populations Training Program funded by the National Institute on Aging, grant no. T32AG066576. T.K.M.C. was supported by the National Institute on Aging 1K23AG075191, the Caryl & George Bernstein Human Aging Project in the Johns Hopkins University Center for Innovative Medicine, and the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Endowed Professorship.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mary Louise Pomeroy, Emerald Jenkins & Thomas K. M. Cudjoe

  2. Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mary Louise Pomeroy & Thomas K. M. Cudjoe

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Fereshteh Mehrabi

  4. Ageing Research and Development Division, Institute of Public Health, Dublin, Ireland

    Roger O’Sullivan

  5. Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK

    Roger O’Sullivan

  6. Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    James Lubben

  7. School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA

    James Lubben

  8. Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Thomas K. M. Cudjoe

Authors
  1. Mary Louise Pomeroy
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  2. Fereshteh Mehrabi
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  3. Emerald Jenkins
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  4. Roger O’Sullivan
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  5. James Lubben
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  6. Thomas K. M. Cudjoe
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Contributions

M.L.P. conceived the idea for this Correspondence, with guidance from T.K.M.C., F.M., E.J. and R.O. M.L.P., F.M. and E.J. were major contributors in writing the initial manuscript. T.K.M.C., R.O. and J.L. provided critical revisions and content expertise. All authors provided iterative review, read and approved the final manuscript. Authorship has been granted only to those individuals who have contributed substantially to this research and manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mary Louise Pomeroy.

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Competing interests

T.K.M.C. has previously received consulting fees from Edenbridge Healthcare. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Aging thanks Andrew Steptoe for his contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Pomeroy, M.L., Mehrabi, F., Jenkins, E. et al. Reflections on measures of social isolation among older adults. Nat Aging 3, 1463–1464 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00472-4

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