The Risk Factors of Social Isolation among Older Adults in Rural Pennsylvania

Overview: Social isolation increases the risk of health issues and death among older adults. This study’s purpose was to identify the risk factors of social isolation among older adults in rural Pennsylvania. We also hope to make policy recommendations to improve the current social welfare services in rural Pennsylvania.Proposal text: Introduction
By 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be 65 years of age or older (Hogan et al., 2015), which translates into an estimated 2.2 million adults in that age group in Pennsylvania. This population is steadily increasing and will require ongoing support and services to ensure healthy lives. Social isolation increases the risk of early death and disability (Wesołowska et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors of social isolation among older adults in rural Pennsylvania.
Methods
We selected five rural Pennsylvania counties by using selection criteria of regions with an average density and relatively higher population of disabled and low-income older adults. Marketing Systems Group provided the home addresses for our study. Simple random sampling was used to select participants who were 65 or older. We sent out 4,000 surveys; the independent variables were gender, marital status, education, number of people living in the participants’ home, and annual household income. For dependent variable loneliness, de Jong Gierveld’s Loneliness Scale was used. Data analysis methods included descriptive analysis, independent t test, one-way ANOVA, and liner regression.
Findings
The data were obtained from 410 respondents, 222 (54.1%) male and 188 (45.9%) female. The average age was 76.01 years. An average of 1.68 people live in the participants’ home. For the marital status, 34 (8.3%) reported being single, 218 (53.2%) married, 43 (10.5%) divorced, 114 (27.8%) widowed, and 1 (0.2%) separated. For highest education, 6 (1.5%) people said other, 9 (2.2%) middle school, 172 (42%) high school, 141 (34.4%) college, 71 (17.3%) master, and 11 (2.7%) doctorate. The average household income was $52,479.79. The loneliness composite score range was 5–25, with a mean score of 20.14. Higher scores indicate less loneliness.
The inferential analysis results indicated that gender, marital status, and number of people in the home all significantly impact loneliness. Males scored higher (M = 20.5) than females (M = 19.73) in loneliness; thus, females are more likely to feel lonely. Married people scored the highest (M = 20.97) and single people the lowest (M = 17.85). Thus, married people are less likely to feel lonely. A significant regression equation was found between the number of people living in the home and loneliness, F(1, 408 = 15.739, p < .05). Additionally, education and income did not show significant impact.
Discussion
Older women may be lonelier than older men because they tend to outlive their husbands and are more likely to live alone, increasing the risk of significant loneliness (de Jong Gierveld, 1998). Pennsylvania started new programs, such as robotic pets and Elderly Cottage Housing Opportunity (ECHO), to reduce older adults’ sense of loneliness. ECHO places a small home for older adults next to their family or friends. This program may be able to help older women make social connections and obtain emotional support with their friends and families. More research should be done to check the effectiveness of the programs on reducing social isolation among older adults.