Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Richard Jimenez

Abstract

The increased number of older adults living longer parallels with the growth of public health concerns regarding the impact of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors (e.g., loneliness and social isolation) on older adults' wellbeing. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between loneliness, social isolation, the combined model of loneliness, and social isolation on wellbeing among older adults when accounting for age, gender, ethnicity, and social support. The socioecological model (SEM) was used to evaluate the multiple levels of environmental determinants for loneliness, social isolation, and wellbeing. The target population included older adults 65 years and older from England who participated in the England Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). The study design involved secondary ELSA data to run descriptive bivariate data analysis and inferential binary logistic regression statistics. The data analysis revealed a statistically significant association between loneliness and wellbeing (OR = .18; p = .01, OR = .2; p = .01, OR = 6.3; p = .01). No significant association was found between social isolation and wellbeing (OR = .89; p = .52, OR = 1.2; p = .52, OR = 1.2; p = .59) and combined loneliness and social isolation model and wellbeing (OR = .64; p = .54, OR = .93; p = .92, OR = .52; p = .4). The study’s findings can contribute to positive social change by validating SEM principles that multiple levels of environmental determinants influence human health and behavior outcomes. This information can be used to improve public health practices to identify older adults who are lonely, socially isolated, or both and develop more appropriate interventions necessary to meet older adults' needs to alleviate or reduce loneliness and social isolation.

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