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Elovainio M, Komulainen K, Hakulinen C, Pahkala K, Rovio S, Hutri N, Raitakari OT, Pulkki-Råback L. Intergenerational continuity of loneliness and potential mechanisms: Young Finns Multigenerational Study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5465. [PMID: 38443584 PMCID: PMC10915156 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56147-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence on the intergenerational continuity of loneliness and on potential mechanisms that connect loneliness across successive generations is limited. We examined the association between loneliness of (G0) parents (859 mothers and 570 fathers, mean age 74 years) and their children (G1) (433 sons and 558 daughters, mean age 47 years) producing 991 parent-offspring pairs and tested whether these associations were mediated through subjective socioeconomic position, temperament characteristics, cognitive performance, and depressive symptoms. Mean loneliness across parents had an independent effect on their adult children's experienced loneliness (OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.23-2.42). We also found a robust effect of mothers' (OR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.17-2.29), but not of fathers' loneliness (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 0.96-2.25) on offspring's experienced loneliness in adulthood. The associations were partly mediated by offspring depressive (41-54%) and anxiety (29-31%) symptoms. The current findings emphasize the high interdependence of loneliness within families mediated partly by offspring's mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Elovainio
- Research Program Unit, Faculty of Medicine (Department of Psychology), University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, P.O.Box 63, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Kaisla Komulainen
- Research Program Unit, Faculty of Medicine (Department of Psychology), University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, P.O.Box 63, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Christian Hakulinen
- Research Program Unit, Faculty of Medicine (Department of Psychology), University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, P.O.Box 63, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katja Pahkala
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Suvi Rovio
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Nina Hutri
- Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli T Raitakari
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Laura Pulkki-Råback
- Research Program Unit, Faculty of Medicine (Department of Psychology), University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, P.O.Box 63, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
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