Identifying Living Arrangements That Heighten Risk for Loneliness in Later Life

Abstract

Studies have identified living alone as a risk factor for loneliness in later life without examining whether other living arrangements might also pose risk. The authors used data from a national sample of adults aged 57 and older to estimate associations between a variety of living arrangements and loneliness. In contrast to respondents living with a spouse/partner, respondents who were living alone, living with children without a spouse/partner, and living with other relatives or friends without a spouse/partner reported more loneliness. Living alone was associated with greater loneliness among men than women, but living with children without a spouse/partner was associated with greater loneliness among women. Results suggest the importance for interventions aimed at reducing loneliness to target adults who live alone, as well as adults who live with others besides intimate partners, and to consider gender differences in the propensity for particular types of living arrangements to affect loneliness.