The executive control correlate of loneliness in healthy older people

Leisure activities as reserve mediators of the relationship between loneliness and cognition in aging

Previous studies have found that loneliness affects cognitive functions in older persons. However, the influence of loneliness on different cognitive fields and the internal mechanism of the relationship are unclear. A total of 4772 older persons aged above 50 years (Mean = 65.31, SD = 6.96, 57.7% female) were included in this study. All the participants completed the characteristics scale, as well as the loneliness scale, leisure activity scale, and cognitive function tests in six domains. The results showed that 17.6% of participants had high loneliness, while 16.7% of participants had low loneliness. Associations were observed between higher levels of loneliness and lower scores in general cognitive ability, memory, and executive functions. Mediation analysis suggested that leisure activities, encompassing mental, physical, and social activities, were associated with cognitive functions in the context of loneliness. These results indicate that leisure activities may play a significant role in the relationship between loneliness and cognitive functions in older adults. The study highlights the importance of considering leisure activities in this demographic to potentially mitigate the adverse cognitive effects associated with loneliness.

Loneliness, perceived social support, and their changes predict medical adherence over 12 months among patients with coronary heart disease

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated whether changes in loneliness and perceived social support predicted medical adherence in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) over 12 months. Moreover, short-term and long-term buffering effects of social support on the association between loneliness and medical adherence were systematically examined.

DESIGN

A three-wave longitudinal study.

METHODS

Participants were 255 CHD patients with a mean age of 63 years. Medical adherence, loneliness, and perceived social support were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the influences of loneliness and social support as well as their changes on medical adherence over 12 months. Moderation analyses were performed to test buffering effects of baseline social support and its changes against loneliness and its changes, respectively.

RESULTS

Changes in loneliness significantly predicted medical adherence at 12 months (β = -.23, p = .001) but not at 3 months (β = -.10, p = .142). Changes in social support predicted medical adherence at both 3 (β = .23, p = .002) and 12 months (β = .26, p = .001). Social support concurrently buffered the adverse impact of loneliness on medical adherence (B = .29, SE = .12, p = .020) at baseline but did not at 3 or 12 months (Bs = -.21 to .40, SEs = .12 to .30, ps = .177 to .847).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the importance of monitoring loneliness and perceived social support continuously over time for CHD patients to promote medical adherence.

Cognitive Processing Speed and Loneliness in Stroke Survivors: Insights from a Large-Scale Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Loneliness, when prolonged, is associated with many deleterious effects and has been shown to be highly prevalent in those with a history of stroke, yet the cognitive mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon remain unclear. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the extent to which cognitive factors, with specific focus on processing speed, are associated with loneliness in those with a history of stroke.

METHOD

Utilizing data from the British Cohort Study, a nationally representative dataset, we conducted secondary data analysis. A total of 7,752 participants completed relevant questions related to health, social interactions, demographics, loneliness, and cognitive assessments. Among them, 47 had experienced a stroke ("stroke," n = 47), 5,545 reported other health conditions ("ill," n = 5,545), and 2,857 were deemed healthy ("healthy," n = 2,857).

RESULTS

Consistent with previous research, our findings confirmed a positive correlation between stroke history and heightened loneliness. However, inferential analysis revealed that processing speed, alongside other cognitive factors, had a minimal impact on loneliness, with correlations too small to draw definitive conclusions.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that cognitive processing speed alone is not a robust predictor of loneliness in stroke survivors. Consequently, when developing interventions to combat loneliness in this population, it is crucial to consider a broader spectrum of factors, such as social engagement, emotional wellbeing, and interpersonal relationships. This underscores the imperative need for comprehensive assessments to better comprehend the multifaceted nature of loneliness and inform more effective intervention strategies.

Effects of combat sports on cognitive function in older people: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

This systematic review aimed to analyze the available body of published peer-reviewed studies on the effects of combat sports compared with active/passive control on cognitive function and electrophysiological markers of brain activity in older people.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

The studies were searched in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases from deadline to June 2023. The PRISMA, TESTEX, RoB, and GRADE scales assessed the evidence's methodological quality and certainty of evidence. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (code: CRD42022361695).

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

After reviewing 3768 studies, seven combat sports interventions (score ≥60% in methodological quality) were selected, composed of 381 older people (63% female), with a mean age of 66 years. In the selected studies, interventions based on judo, karate, and taekwondo were carried out, where it was not possible to verify the benefits of combat sports in cognitive function and electrophysiological markers of brain activity regarding active/passive control groups, although the individual results of the analyzed studies indicate that the practice of combat sports favor selective attention, divided attention, executive function, visual perception, and cognitive processing speed in older people.

CONCLUSIONS

The available evidence does not allow a definite recommendation regarding combat sports as an effective cognitive function intervention in older people.

Exploring the relationship between perceived loneliness and subjective cognitive decline in older individuals

OBJECTIVE

Loneliness has been associated to a greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older individuals. However, evidence on whether this association also exists for older individuals who complain of cognitive problems is limited. We conducted a survey to examine the association between subjective cognitive decline in the working memory domain, perceived loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress in older individuals with different profiles.

METHODS

A total of 302 healthy, old individuals completed 3 questionnaires to assess subjective cognitive problems in attention, executive functions, storage, depression, anxiety, stress, and perceived loneliness.

RESULTS

We conducted a cluster analysis and 3 clusters of individuals with different profiles emerged. Individuals with greater subjective cognitive problems (cluster 1) in the attention and storage domains, reported higher perceived loneliness and stress but not depression. In contrast, individuals with the least subjective cognitive problems (cluster 3) in the storage domain, reported lower perceived loneliness.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with higher subjective cognitive decline also report higher levels of perceived loneliness but not more depression than their peers. However, this correlation is present only for individuals with mild subjective cognitive decline (cluster 2). The implications for future research and interventions are discussed.

Psycho-social and health predictors of loneliness in older primary care patients and mediating mechanisms linking comorbidities and loneliness

BACKGROUND

Aging is associated with many personal, social, and environmental challenges that increase the risk of loneliness. Loneliness is a painful emotional experience associated with a perceived lack of connection and intimacy. Loneliness accelerates health deterioration, but the presence of chronic health conditions (comorbidities) in older individuals may potentiate the feeling of loneliness. The relationships between health status and loneliness in older individuals have not been assessed in an integrated manner, although it is necessary for planning efficient interventions. The aim of this study was to fill in this knowledge gap, by attempting to create an integrated model of loneliness in older individuals.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 189 (58% F) older individuals (> 60 years) (mean ± SD, 78.47 ± 6.65), attendees in Primary Health Care. Different factors associated with loneliness in the older population were assessed, and classified as demographic, environmental, physical (health-related), and psychological, in addition to functional abilities. A set of standard questionnaires was used to assess psychological factors and functional abilities. The hierarchical regression model assessed the effect of particular blocks of factors on status loneliness. The second aim was to analyze how psychological factors mediate associations between health status (comorbidity level) and loneliness.

RESULTS

Indicated that increasing comorbidity, anxiety, lack of positive moods, not having hobbies/activities, low perception of social support, impaired cognitive function, and suppression of emotion expression, are significant predictors of loneliness. Mediation analysis informed us of how to help patients with comorbidities feel less lonely. Interventions that were suggested were those that can reduce anxiety and depression, improve cognitive abilities and emotional regulation control, and enhance social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Results can help understand the pathophysiology loops linking poor health status (comorbidity level) of older individuals and loneliness, and have significant potentials from the translational perspectives, as a decision-support tool.

Loneliness and disability: A systematic review of loneliness conceptualization and intervention strategies

Introduction

People with disabilities experience loneliness to a greater extent than people without disabilities. To better understand this problem, we have conducted a systematic review of studies that involved disability and loneliness. The aims are to research what loneliness is and to conceptualize and define it in the context of disability, and the intervention strategies that have been developed.

Methods

The research protocol is based on the PRISMA guidelines. Two hundred and eighty-one papers were screened and 75 reports were assessed for eligibility.

Results

We have not found whether loneliness in disability is a single construct or a collection of various subtypes. We have found that there are protective factors against loneliness in disabled people, such as having a job or living in an environment without physical barriers.

Discussion

In terms of the interventions for people with disabilities, the same strategies have been adopted as for the non-disabled: social skills training, enhanced social support, opportunities for interactions, and cognitive training.

Are social isolation and loneliness associated with cognitive decline in ageing?

Objective

Social isolation and loneliness are associated with poor health (immunity, inflammation, etc.) in ageing. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate the link between social isolation, loneliness (as distinct constructs, in contrast to previous published work) and cognition in cognitively healthy older adults.

Method

We followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Our search, conducted between January 2017 and April 2021, yielded 2,673 articles, of which, twelve longitudinal studies were finally identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Multiple cognitive functions (short-term and episodic memory, attention, and global cognitive functioning) were measured.

Results

The results showed that both social isolation and loneliness were associated with poor cognition in ageing, with depression as a possible mediator between loneliness and poor cognition. Some studies also suggested that the link between social isolation, loneliness and cognitive decline may be bidirectional.

Conclusion

We conclude that both social isolation and loneliness may have a different impact on cognition. While depression may be an important mediator between loneliness and cognitive decline, the lack of cognitive stimulation may be a greater mediator between social isolation and cognitive health.

The effects of aging and perceived loneliness on lexical ambiguity resolution

Language is central to the interactional nature of the social life within which it is situated. To react or respond in a particular situation, we must be able to recognize the social situation. Growing evidence has demonstrated the negative impact of perceived loneliness on late-life executive functions. Yet little is known about how social factors impact language processing for older people. The current study aims to fill this gap, first by assessing age-related changes in lexical processing during Chinese word reading, second, by examining whether older adults’ individual differences, such as processing speed and verbal abilities, modulate meaning retrieval and, third, by investigating whether perceived loneliness can hinder word reading. The use of compound words in Chinese enables significant sublexical ambiguity, requiring varying executive load during word recognition: when a word’s constituent characters carry multiple meanings, readers must consider the meaning contributions of both constituent characters and use top-down word information to determine the most accurate meaning of the ambiguous character, a process termed “sublexical ambiguity resolution.” In this study, adults read real Chinese words (including both sublexically ambiguous and unambiguous words) and pseudowords, and they were asked to make lexical decisions. Older adults exhibited greater lexicality effects (i.e., real words were easier to be identified than pseudowords) and similar sublexical ambiguity effects compared with young adults. Among older participants, processing speed could account for their ability to differentiate between words and pseudowords. In contrast, the level of perceived loneliness modulated the efficacy of sublexical ambiguity resolution: the participants with higher perceived loneliness displayed a greater sublexical ambiguity disadvantage effect. These results indicate that perceived loneliness may affect the use of contextual information in meaning retrieval during reading. The findings provide an important link between social connections and language processing.

Loneliness, positive, negative and disorganised Schizotypy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Loneliness is common in psychosis and occurs along a continuum. Here we investigate inter-relationships between loneliness, three-dimensional schizotypy, and depressive symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sample included 507 university students (48.3% participated before and 51.7% during the COVID-19 pandemic) who completed the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale-Brief, the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms depression scale and the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. Schizotypy and depression scores were regressed onto loneliness individually and in multiple regressions.

The cohorts did not differ in any of the schizotypy domains (all p > .29). Depressive symptoms (p = .05) and loneliness (p = .006) were higher during the pandemic than before. Across cohorts, loneliness was significantly associated with positive (β = 0.23, p < .001), negative (β = 0.44, p < .001), and disorganised schizotypy (β = 0.44, p < .001), and with depression (β = 0.72, p < .001). Schizotypy together explained a significant amount of variance in loneliness (R² = 0.26), with significant associations with positive (β = −0.09, p = .047), negative (β = 0.31, p < .001) and disorganised schizotypy (β = 0.34, p < .001). When depression was included (β = 0.69, p < .001), only positive (β = −0.09, p = .008) and negative schizotypy (β = 0.22, p < .001) significantly predicted loneliness.

When all schizotypy dimensions and depression were considered together, only negative schizotypy and depression significantly predicted loneliness. Loneliness and depressive symptoms were higher during the pandemic, but this did not relate to cohort differences in schizotypy.

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Loneliness is uniquely associated with negative schizotypy and depression, but not disorganised schizotypy.

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Certain aspects of positive schizotypy may protect against loneliness.

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Loneliness and depressive symptoms were higher in students during the COVID-19 pandemic than before.

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Cohorts of students assessed before and during the pandemic showed similar levels of schizotypy.

Loneliness in U.S. military veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally representative, prospective cohort study

Loneliness was deemed a behavioral epidemic even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent social distancing policy measures have raised concerns about increased social isolation and loneliness, especially in vulnerable populations such as military veterans. However, little is known about the impact of the pandemic on longitudinal changes in loneliness in veterans, and potential protective psychosocial factors that may mitigate loneliness in this population. We analyzed data from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative, prospective cohort of 3,078 US veterans before and 1-year into the pandemic. Prevalence, and risk and protective factors associated with changes in loneliness were examined. Results revealed that the prevalence of loneliness decreased over the study period-17.3% pre-pandemic to 15.9% peri-pandemic (p = 0.032). A total of 5.4% (n = 164) of veterans reported increased loneliness, 6.4% (n = 196) decreased loneliness, and 10.6% (n = 325) persistent loneliness during the pandemic. Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that not being married/partnered, and scoring lower on pre-pandemic measures of purpose in life and cognitive functioning were most strongly associated with increased loneliness. Pre-pandemic psychiatric disorder, unpartnered marital status, and pandemic-related social restriction and financial stressors were most strongly associated with persistent loneliness. Collectively, these results suggest that, contrary to concerns, the prevalence of loneliness subtly decreased one year into the pandemic. Veterans who are not partnered, have pre-existing psychiatric conditions, and endorse more COVID-related stressors may be at higher risk for experiencing loneliness during the pandemic. Interventions that promote social connectedness, as well as that target the aforementioned risk and protective factors, may help mitigate loneliness in veterans.