By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
(Health day)
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Caring for a loved one can be a break from loneliness or help bring on loneliness, depending on the circumstances, new research shows.
The researchers studied the topic extensively, using data from 28 studies with more than 190,000 participants in 21 countries. They found that certain types of caregiving, such as volunteering and caring for grandchildren, offered protection against loneliness in people over 50.
However, for those caring for a spouse with complex health conditions, particularly dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving was often a significant risk factor for loneliness.
“Loneliness can make people feel isolated and disconnected from others, and can have a wide range of negative effects on their physical and mental health,” said the lead author. Samia Akhter KhanPhD candidate at King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, UK.
“There is a pressing need to identify people who may be most vulnerable to feeling lonely and to develop specific solutions to prevent and reduce loneliness in these population groups,” he said.
Six of seven studies conducted in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and China linked caring for grandchildren or other children with less loneliness.
Caring for a spouse was consistently associated with greater loneliness. And volunteering was linked to lower levels of loneliness in 5 of 6 studies.
“This is the first review of its kind to systematically investigate the relationship between older people’s caregiving and volunteering activities and loneliness,” said the co-author. Mateo PrinaDirector of the Social Epidemiology Research Group at King’s College London.
While the causes of loneliness will vary from person to person, knowing who is most at risk may lead to specific approaches to address that problem, according to the study authors.
Caring and volunteering have yet to be fully considered in loneliness research and interventions, researchers recently reported in the journal. Perspectives on Psychological Science.
“More research will now be necessary to investigate the needs of older caregivers, as well as to examine the barriers, opportunities, and satisfaction of engaging in meaningful activities,” Prina said in a journal news release.
“This could help shed light on the optimal ‘dose’ of volunteering and caring for grandchildren and identify ways to maximize its potential beneficial effects in combating loneliness in those over 50,” he added. “Respecting older adults for their contributions and valuing their activities is likely to play an important role in mitigating loneliness.”
All studies used were from higher-income countries and were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic.
FONT: Aging and Mental Healthpress release, November 23, 2022
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