Predictors of Social Isolation Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Introduction and objective: Social isolation can lead to depression, decline in life expectancy, and increased death anxiety among older adults. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the predictors of social isolation in community-dwelling older adults residing in Qazvin, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and cross sectional study was conducted on 301 older adults in 2020.  Cluster sampling method was used for selecting the eligible older people. Data were collected using the Demographic and chronic diseases checklists, Lubben Social Network Scale, Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, WHODAS, psychological well-Being scale, religious coping questionnaire. Questionnaires were completed by the researcher through face to face interview. The collected data were analyzed using multivariable regression model.   Results: The mean age of 301 older adults participated in the study was 68.63 ± 7.31 years. Following multivariate analyses, significant predictors of social isolation were identified as being: perceived social support (β:0.333,p<0.001), disability (β:-0.137,p=0.018), and living with spouse (β=0.154,p=0.010). As, the social isolation was decreased by increasing the social support and decreasing the rate of disability. Furthermore, the older adults who lived with their spouse reported lower social isolation compare with their counterparts. Conclusions: Given the predictive role of perceived social support and the rate of disability in social isolation, establishing or strengthening supportive social networks, particularly in disable older adults seems to be one of the effective factors in reduction of social isolation.