The longitudinal association of multimorbidity on loneliness and network size: Findings from a population-based study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the onset of multimorbidity with loneliness and social network size longitudinally.

METHODS: Longitudinal data was used from the German Ageing Survey, a representative sample of adults aged 40 and over, residing in private households. The presence of two or more illnesses indicated multimorbidity. A 6-item version of the validated De Jong Gierveld Loneliness scale was used to assess perceived loneliness. The network size of respondents was represented by counts of important people in regular contact. Fixed-effects regressions adjusted for time-varying socio-demographic, life style, and health-related variables were used.

RESULTS: The regression analysis yielded, when controlling for possible confounders, that the onset of multimorbidity led to increased loneliness (β = .06, p < .001). However, the results revealed as well that the onset of multimorbidity was associated with an increased network size (β = .29, p < .001).

CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate a complex relationship of the variables examined. Efforts to target multimorbidity, eg, to postpone or prevent it, could be helpful to decrease loneliness.