The more isolation an older adult experiences, the higher their risks are for dementia, disability and/or death, a new study finds. This is true regardless of isolation level at the start of the study, the authors pointed out in a report published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.
Investigators evaluated changes in social isolation with regard to physical and cognitive function, cardiovascular disease, stroke and death. Researchers evaluated 13,649 participants in the Health and Retirement Study from 2006 to 2020. Individuals had an assessment at baseline and a check-in four years later.
Researchers grouped participants into decreased isolation, stable or increased isolation groups based on their isolation status at the start of the study. The average age at baseline was 65.3 years old.
Among respondents, 66.6% were not socially isolated at the start of the study and 33.4% were socially isolated. Of the baseline nonisolated respondents, 11.6% had decreased isolation, 50.1% remained stable and 38.3% experienced increased isolation at their second check-ins.
Overall, people with more isolation had higher mortality risks than those who were stable or had lower isolation. Among those isolated at baseline, experiencing more isolation was associated with 1.29-fold higher risk for mortality, a 1.35-fold higher risk for disability and a 1.4-fold higher risk for dementia compared to those with stable isolation. Of those not socially isolated at baseline, the increased isolation group showed 1.1-fold higher risks for mortality, 1.15-fold higher risks for disability and 1.29-fold higher risks for dementia compared to those who were stable across both check-ins.
Decreased isolation was associated with a lower risk of mortality but only among respondents who weren’t socially isolated at baseline. There was no association observed between changes in isolation and the risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke, the data showed.
