The transition to living alone and psychological distress in later life
Open Access
- 6 March 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Age and Ageing
- Vol. 42 (3), 366-372
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/aft006
Abstract
Background: living alone in later life has been linked to psychological distress but less is known about the role of the transition into living alone and the role of social and material resources. Methods: a total of 21,535 person-years of data from 4,587 participants of the British Household Panel Survey aged 65+ are analysed. Participants provide a maximum 6 years' data (t0−t5), with trajectories of living arrangements classified as: consistently partnered/ with children/alone; transition from partnered to alone/with children to alone. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 caseness (score >3) is investigated using multi-level logistic regression, controlling for sex, age, activities of daily living, social and material resources. Results: after a transition from partnered at t0 to alone at t1, the odds for GHQ-12 caseness increased substantially, but by t3 returned to baseline levels. The odds for caseness at t0 were highest for those changing from living with a child at t0 to living alone at t1 but declined following the transition to living alone. None of the covariates explained these associations. Living consistently alone did confer increased odds for caseness. Conclusions: living alone in later life is not in itself a strong risk factor for psychological distress. The effects of transitions to living alone are dependent on the preceding living arrangement and are independent of social and material resources. This advocates a longitudinal approach, allowing identification of respondents' location along trajectories of living arrangements.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Financial capability and psychological healthJournal of Economic Psychology, 2011
- Loneliness among older EuropeansEuropean Journal of Ageing, 2009
- Living Alone and Depressive Symptoms: The Influence of Gender, Physical Disability, and Social Support Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Older AdultsThe Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2009
- Mental health and resilience at older ages: bouncing back after adversity in the British Household Panel SurveyJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2008
- Future trends in health and marital status: effects on the structure of living arrangements of older Europeans in 2030European Journal of Ageing, 2008
- Predictors and subjective causes of loneliness in an aged populationArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2005
- The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great BritainAgeing and Society, 2005
- Social position and minor psychiatric morbidity over time in the British Household Panel Survey 1991-1998Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2004
- Symptoms of psychological distress predict 7-year mortalityPsychological Medicine, 1995
- The Subjective Well-Being of the Previously Married: The Importance of Unmarried Cohabitation and Time Since Widowhood or DivorceSocial Forces, 1994