Concordia University. Canada: A Concordia study has discovered a new link between chronic disease and social isolation. Difficult circumstances often bring people closer together. But a new Concordia study published in Health Psychology
has found that the onset of chronic illness often results in sufferers
feeling lonelier even for those who have had a steady partner for 50
years or more.
Researchers at the Personality, Aging, and Health Lab at Concordia
took on the study because they found that, while plenty of research
examined the effect of loneliness on illness, there was a lack of
empirical evidence about whether or not illness contributes to
loneliness.
“We were surprised by the amount of literature that examined whether
people who are lonely are more likely to get sick,” says Meaghan Barlow,
the study’s first author. “Yet none of them asked the opposite
question: ‘Do sick people get lonely?’”
The new study reveals that they often do when they advance in age,
and that it happens regardless of whether they are in a long-term
relationship when faced with a bleak diagnosis. “The quality of our
social ties plays a role when it comes to coping with the effects of
serious disease in later life. And just having a partner around may not
be enough," Barlow says.
Barlow and her co-author, Sarah Liu, measured changes in loneliness
between 2004 and 2012 in a sample of 121 older adults who were mostly in
their 70s. The study was supervised by Carsten Wrosch, who holds a
research chair in aging and health at Concordia.
Looking at the numbers provided some insights into how
self-protective strategies can reduce the stress associated with a
serious health issue. In particular, positively reappraising a difficult
health situation and not blaming oneself for the illness prevented
feelings of loneliness, most likely because it helps maintain motivation
for social involvement and prevents depressive symptoms. “Putting a
halt to socializing only contributes to a downward spiral,” Barlow says.
“Dealing with a chronic illness shouldn’t prevent you from still trying
to get out there if you can.”
Naturally, the challenge for society is to help an aging population
find motivation to stay engaged, which means recognizing that the
psychological side effects of disease can be offset with an increase in
inspiring activity.
“The fact that loneliness can lead to further complications means
that measures can be taken to prevent the effects from looping back
around,” Barlow says. “Finding different ways to connect with other
people also means you are less likely to blame yourself for being sick,
and you can’t count on a partner to fill that gap.”
Partners in research: This study was supported by awards and grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research.