Participants in the new study who reported feeling lonely at two interviews four years apart were found to be at a 56% higher risk of stroke. The study offers a unique perspective derived from interviewing participants twice to gauge the effect of chronic loneliness. Previous research has questioned individuals only at a single time, and thus did not track loneliness’ long-term effects.
The researchers analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study conducted from 2006 to 2018. Only participants with two recorded measurements of loneliness were included in the new study.
The study’s 8,936 participants were aged 50 and older and had never had a stroke. Their loneliness was measured according to their responses to questions in the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale.
The study is published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine. The study’s corresponding author defines the mechanism linking loneliness to stroke was beyond the scope of the study and said that there are three broad pathways that generally describe how loneliness can impact stroke risk: physiological, behavioral, and psychosocial.
Self-abusive behaviors such as decreased physical activity, overeating, high consumption of ultra processed foods, increased alcohol intake, increased use of cigarettes and/or drugs, decreased compliance with prescribed medications, and poor sleep hygiene may all be factors. A psychosocial influence may lie in a person’s inability to “maintain satisfying social relationships, which may result in longer-term interpersonal difficulties that in turn may affect stroke risk. Interestingly, people who are isolated may not actually feel lonely, and those who are lonely may actually be surrounded by tons of people. The study, in fact, separates loneliness from social isolation.
The age group most at risk for loneliness is actually young people 18 to 22 years of age, and they are also at the highest risk of social isolation, anxiety, and depression.
As the population ages, this is an increasing concern for both the aged, and the young. Complementing the study’s conclusion that long-term loneliness poses the highest risk of stroke, the USPTF (United States Preventive Task Force) recommends doctors evaluate patients for depression, loneliness, and isolation.
