| Title: |
Social Isolation and Loneliness I Cognitive and Psychosocial Barriers to Social Engagement in Older Adults |
| Authors: |
Split, Molly; Prieto, Sarah; Kunicki, Zachary; De Vito, Alyssa; Barker, Megan; Thompson, Louisa; Devlin, Kathryn; Schultheis, Maria |
| Source: |
Innovation in Aging ; volume 9, issue Supplement_2 ; ISSN 2399-5300 |
| Publisher Information: |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Description: |
Loneliness in older adulthood can have profound effects on cognition and quality of life. While increased social engagement can alleviate loneliness, interventions to improve social connections remain limited. Developing effective interventions requires a deeper understanding of personal barriers and cognitive difficulties that may impede social engagement. We investigated these factors in a survey with cognitively healthy older adults. Participants were 167 racially and ethnically diverse older adults (M age=60.4, M education=16.1, 56% women). Participants completed a survey developed by our research team on social engagement frequency and barriers, and social life satisfaction. Online cognitive assessments of attention, working memory, and response inhibition were also administered. Spearman rank-order correlations examined associations between these measures. Common barriers to socialization included changes in interests (53%) and mood (41%). Lower social engagement was associated with more barriers (r=-.22, p=.005) and lower social life satisfaction (r=.52, p |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1093/geroni/igaf122.2776 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaf122.2776; https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article-pdf/9/Supplement_2/igaf122.2776/66234996/igaf122.2776.pdf |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.FD77A37F |
| Database: |
BASE |