Loneliness in Chinese older adults in primary care: prevalence and correlates.
Psychogeriatrics
; 18(5): 334-342, 2018 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29987863
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Loneliness is a significant public health concern among older adults (OA) given its association with a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Primary care is an opportune setting to manage loneliness. However, the epidemiology of loneliness in Chinese OA treated in primary care remains unclear. The present study investigated the prevalence and correlates of loneliness in OA treated in Chinese primary care.METHODS:
A total of 744 OA patients (65+ years) were consecutively recruited from 13 primary care clinics in Wuhan, China, and interviewed with a standardized questionnaire, concerning sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, relationships with family and others, physical health, and sensory impairments. Consistent with prior research on the construct, loneliness was measured with a single-item self-report question. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of loneliness.RESULTS:
Of primary care OA patients, 26.2% endorsed loneliness. Factors significantly and independently associated with loneliness included 75+ age group (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07, 2.44, P 0.023), being illiterate (OR 2.07, 95%CI 1.26, 3.42, P 0.004), unmarried (OR 2.30, 95%CI 1.40, 3.78, P 0.001), living alone (OR 4.37, 95%CI 2.27, 8.41, P < 0.001), having fair and poor family (OR 2.44, 95%CI 1.48, 4.00, P < 0.001) and non-family relationships (OR 1.75, 95%CI 1.10, 2.78, P 0.019), and ≥2 chronic medical conditions (OR 2.91, 95%CI 1.22, 6.95, P 0.016).CONCLUSIONS:
Loneliness is common in Chinese primary care OA. The high prevalence and many negative health consequences of loneliness for OA highlight the importance of routine screening, assessment, and interventions to reduce loneliness in the primary health-care setting.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atenção Primária à Saúde
/
Povo Asiático
/
Solidão
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychogeriatrics
Assunto da revista:
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China