Loneliness and mortality: A community-based prospective study

Introduction Loneliness affects up to one in every third individual in the western population, and the prevalence is increasing. The literature suggests an increased mortality risk of about 26% when feeling lonely, and an association to some disorders of physical health. Objectives To assess if loneliness increases the risk of mortality, and if so, if health indicators (hypertension, heart disease, tobacco use, alcoholism, diabetes, obesity, and depression) mediate the association. Methods The design is a community-based prospective cohort study using data from the Swedish Lundby Study. Loneliness is measured in 1997 with a singleton question during interview of a psychiatrist. The outcome is death between 1997 and 2011. Survival analysis is used to estimate the relative risk of mortality. Stratification of potential explanatory covariates examines if any of the health indicators mediate the relationship. Results Significant more females, unmarried, unemployed, and childless people feel lonely. Moreover, feeling lonely correlates to being smoker or alcoholic when adjusting for age and gender. The statistical work on the survival analysis is still in progress. However, we expect to find a positive correlation between loneliness and mortality corresponding to previous studies, and perhaps to reveal some of the health indicators to cause the association. Conclusions With increasing prevalence, potential health consequences, and a neglected role in the society, loneliness is an important research area.