SOCIAL DISCONNECTION AND HEALTH AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Social disconnection is a term that captures the lack of social, physical and emotional engagement with other people. I examined the association of structural (e.g. living alone, social interactions) and functional components (e.g. perceived social support) of social disconnection with health and healthcare utilization outcomes in later life. I found that older adults in poor health were more likely to be socially disconnected and belonged to social networks that were restricted and intensified around family. Living alone was a risk factor for social disconnection and emergency hospitalizations, but most socially disconnected adults lived with family. Having adequate social support attenuated the negative impacts of widowhood on health and mortality risk, particularly among men. These results could help identify older adults at risk of social disconnection more precisely and guide interventions to discern between social and medical needs in later life.