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Published in: BMC Geriatrics 1/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | Affective Disorder | Research article

Differentiating objective and subjective dimensions of social isolation and apprasing their relations with physical and mental health in italian older adults

Authors: Maddalena Fiordelli, Gabriele Sak, Benedetta Guggiari, Peter J. Schulz, Serena Petrocchi

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

International research shows that social isolation is harmful for health, especially for the elderly. Its objective and subjective dimensions are important to distinguish as each stands in a different relation with health. The first aim of the present study is the validation of three scales measuring objective and subjective isolation in an Italian elderly population. The second aim is to analyze subjective and objective social isolation and to appraise their association with health among seniors.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey collected data from 306 over 65 s participants. Questionnaires were administered face-to-face by one author and encompassed: social disconnectedness scale; perceived isolation scale; abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale; measures of general and mental health, and depression.

Results

The three scales measuring social isolation demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and validity. Objective and subjective social isolation were not directly associated with physical health, whereas subjective isolation is strongly linked to worse mental health and depression. Higher level of subjective isolation was associated with lower level of physical health through the mediation of mental health. Subjective isolation served as a mediator in the relation between objective isolation and health. Moderation analysis demonstrated that low values of objective isolation predicted high values of mental health but only when subjective isolation was low. None of these relations were moderated by socio-demographic variables.

Conclusion

Subjective and objective isolation are clearly two separate dimensions and the scales validated in this paper showed to be potentially culturally invariant. Researchers should work to find instruments able to depict the complexity of the construct of social isolation.
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Metadata
Title
Differentiating objective and subjective dimensions of social isolation and apprasing their relations with physical and mental health in italian older adults
Authors
Maddalena Fiordelli
Gabriele Sak
Benedetta Guggiari
Peter J. Schulz
Serena Petrocchi
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01864-6

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