Loneliness amongst Low-Socioeconomic Status Elderly Singaporeans and its Association with Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1. Study Population
2.2. Study Methodology
2.2.1. Baseline Information and Measures
2.2.2. Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment
2.2.3. Loneliness
2.3. Statistical Analysis
2.4. Ethics Approval
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Cacioppo, J.; Hughes, M.; Waite, L.; Hawkley, L.; Thisted, R. Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Psychol. Aging 2006, 21, 140–151. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chou, K.; Liang, K.; Sareen, J. The association between social isolation and DSM-IV mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders: Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. J. Clin. Psychiatry 2011, 72, 1468–1476. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chan, A.; Malhotra, C.; Malhotra, R.; Østbye, T. Living arrangements, social networks and depressive symptoms among older men and women in Singapore. Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 2011, 26, 630–639. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Coyle, C.; Dugan, E. Social isolation, loneliness and health among older adults. J. Aging Health 2012, 24, 1346–1363. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kearns, A.; Whitley, E.; Tannahill, C.; Ellaway, A. ‘Lonesome Town’? Is Loneliness Associated with the Residential Environment, including Housing and Neighbourhood Factors? J. Community Psychol. 2015, 43, 849–867. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Cacioppo, J.; Cacioppo, S. The growing problem of loneliness. Lancet 2018, 391, 426. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Okkels, N.; Kristiansen, C.; Munk-Jørgensen, P.; Sartorius, N. Urban mental health: Challenges and perspectives. Curr. Opin. Psychiatry 2018, 31, 258–264. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wong, A.; Chau, A.; Fang, Y.; Woo, J. Illuminating the Psychological Experience of Elderly Loneliness from a Societal Perspective: A Qualitative Study of Alienation between Older People and Society. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 824. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ge, L.; Yap, C.; Ong, R.; Heng, B. Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study. PLoS ONE 2017, 12, e0182145. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lim, K.; Chan, A. Association of loneliness and healthcare utilization among older adults in Singapore. Geriatr. Gerontol. Int. 2017, 17, 1789–1798. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Yu, R.; Cheung, O.; Lau, K.; Woo, J. Associations between Perceived Neighborhood Walkability and Walking Time, Wellbeing, and Loneliness in Community-Dwelling Older Chinese People in Hong Kong. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1199. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Bhan, N.; Madhira, P.; Muralidharan, A.; Kulkarni, B.; Murthy, G.; Basu, S. Health needs, access to healthcare, and perceptions of ageing in an urbanizing community in India: A qualitative study. BMC Geriatr. 2017, 17, 156. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Department of Statistics Singapore. Home Ownership Rate of Resident Households 2015 [updated 2015]. Available online: https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/households/households/visualising-data (accessed on 17 March 2019).
- Housing & Development Board Singapore. Public Housing in Singapore: Residents’ Profile, Housing Satisfaction and Preferences: HDB Sample Household Survey 2013; Housing and Development Board: Singapore, 2013; pp. 89–90. [Google Scholar]
- Housing & Development Board Singapore. Rents & Deposits 2013 [updated 15 May 2013]. Available online: https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/residential/renting-a-flat/renting-from-hdb/public-rental-scheme/rents-and-deposits (accessed on 17 March 2019).
- Wee, L.; Yeo, W.; Yang, G.; Hannan, N.; Lim, K.; Chua, C. Individual and Area Level Socioeconomic Status and Its Association with Cognitive Function and Cognitive Impairment (Low MMSE) among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Singapore. Dement. Geriatr. Cogn. Dis. Extra 2012, 2, 529–542. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Wee, L.; Yong, Y.; Chng, M.; Chew, S.; Cheng, L.; Chua, Q. Individual and area-level socioeconomic status and their association with depression amongst community-dwelling elderly in Singapore. Aging Ment. Health 2014, 18, 628–641. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Li, J.; Theng, Y.; Foo, S. Depression and Psychosocial Risk Factors among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Singapore. J. Cross Cult. Gerontol. 2015, 30, 409–422. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lim, L.; Kua, E. Living alone, loneliness, and psychological well-being of older persons in Singapore. Curr. Gerontol. Geriatr. Res. 2011, 20, 673181. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lubben, J.; Blozik, E.; Gillmann, G.; Iliffe, S.; von Renteln Kruse, W.; Beck, J.C.; Stuck, A.E. Performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among three European community-dwelling older adult populations. Gerontologist 2006, 46, 503–513. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Rabin, R.; de Charro, F. EQ-5D: A measure of health status from the EuroQol Group. Ann. Med. 2001, 33, 337–343. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Nyunt, M.; Shuvo, F.; Eng, J.; Yap, K.; Scherer, S.; Hee, L.; Chan, S.P.; Ng, T.P. Objective and subjective measures of neighborhood environment (NE): Relationships with transportation physical activity among older persons. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2015, 12, 108. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Hughes, M.; Waite, L.; Hawkley, L.; Cacioppo, J. A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys. Res. Aging 2004, 26, 655–672. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Tai, J. Old and home alone in Singapore. In The Straits Times; Singapore Press Holdings: Singapore, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- Heng, L. Is there anyone for lonely seniors? In The New Paper; Singapore Press Holdings: Singapore, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Heng, L.; Chia, V. Many elderly flat mates face trouble getting along. In The New Paper; Singapore Press Holdings: Singapore, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Teo, Y. Everyday lives. In This Is What Inequality Looks Like, 1st ed.; Teo, Y., Ed.; Ethos Books: Singapore, 2018; Volume 1, pp. 100–101. [Google Scholar]
- Cho, I. Impact of the Built Environment on Community Bonding and Participatory Design Approach; Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, National University of Singapore: Singapore, 2017. [Google Scholar]
Sociodemographic Factors | Not Lonely (n = 401) (n %) | Lonely (n = 127) (n %) | OR (95% CI) | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Geographical | ||||
Stayed in neighbourhood for >8 years | ||||
No | 241 (78.8) | 65 (21.2) | 1.00 | 0.080 |
Yes | 160 (72.1) | 62 (27.9) | 1.44 (0.96–2.15) | |
Staying in rental apartment vs. owner-occupied | ||||
Owner-occupied | 213 (84.5) | 39 (15.5) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Rental | 188 (68.1) | 88 (31.9) | 2.56 (1.67–3.91) | |
Number of rooms | ||||
3 rooms or smaller | 263 (71.7) | 104 (28.3) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
4–5 rooms | 138 (85.7) | 23 (14.3) | 0.42 (0.26–0.69) | |
Perceived neighbourhood disadvantage | ||||
Less disadvantaged | 288 (79.8) | 73 (20.2) | 1.00 | 0.003 |
More disadvantaged | 113 (67.7) | 54 (32.3) | 1.89 (1.25–2.85) | |
Perceptions of neighbourhood safety and convenience | ||||
Less safe and convenient | 175 (70.6) | 73 (29.4) | 1.00 | 0.008 |
More safe and convenient | 226 (80.7) | 54 (19.3) | 0.57 (0.38–0.86) | |
Perceptions of neighbourhood physical environment | ||||
Better physical environment | 269 (73.5) | 97 (26.5) | 1.00 | 0.049 |
Poorer physical environment | 30 (18.5) | 0.63 (0.40–0.98) | ||
Socio-demographic | ||||
Gender | ||||
Female | 235 (76.3) | 73 (23.7) | 1.00 | 0.837 |
Male | 166 (75.5) | 54 (24.5) | 1.05 (0.70–1.57) | |
Marital status | ||||
Not married | 168 (70.0) | 72 (30.0) | 1.00 | 0.004 |
Married | 233 (80.9) | 55 (19.1) | 0.55 (0.37–0.82) | |
Religious | ||||
No | 113 (68.1) | 53 (31.9) | 1.00 | 0.006 |
Yes | 288 (79.6) | 74 (20.4) | 0.55 (0.36–0.83) | |
Age | ||||
Age 60–75 years | 193 (80.1) | 48 (19.9) | 1.00 | 0.052 |
Age ≥ 75 years | 208 (72.5) | 79 (27.5) | 1.53 (1.01–2.30) | |
Currently employed | ||||
No | 207 (71.4) | 83 (28.6) | 1.00 | 0.008 |
Yes | 194 (81.5) | 44 (18.5) | 0.57 (0.37–0.86) | |
Education | ||||
Secondary and below | 121 (76.6) | 37 (23.4) | 1.00 | 0.912 |
Post-secondary and above | 280 (75.7) | 90 (24.3) | 1.05 (0.68–1.63) | |
Number of people in household | ||||
2 or less people | 232 (79.2) | 61 (20.8) | 1.00 | 0.065 |
3 or more people | 169 (71.9) | 66 (28.1) | 1.49 (1.00–2.22) | |
Average household income | ||||
≤$1500/month | 250 (71.6) | 99 (28.4) | 1.00 | 0.001 |
>$1500/month | 151 (84.4) | 28 (15.6) | 0.47 (0.29–0.75) | |
Medical and functional status | ||||
Comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index) | ||||
CCMI = 0 | 308 (78.2) | 86 (21.8) | 1.00 | 0.047 |
CCMI ≥ 1 | 93 (69.4) | 41 (30.6) | 1.58 (1.02–2.45) | |
Chronic pain (pain > 6 months) | ||||
No | 359 (76.7) | 109 (23.3) | 1.00 | 0.263 |
Yes | 42 (70.0) | 18 (30.0) | 1.41 (0.78–2.55) | |
Anxiety/mood issues | ||||
No | 386 (78.8) | 104 (21.2) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Yes | 15 (39.5) | 23 (60.5) | 5.69 (2.86–11.30) | |
Functional status (basic activities of daily living) | ||||
Dependent in at least 1 bADL | 8 (47.1) | 9 (52.9) | 1.00 | 0.008 |
Independent in all bADLs | 393 (76.9) | 118 (23.1) | 0.27 (0.10–0.71) | |
State of perfect health (EQ5D) | ||||
No | 135 (66.5) | 68 (33.5) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Yes | 266 (81.8) | 59 (18.2) | 0.44(0.29–0.66) | |
Global health-related quality of life | ||||
No | 194 (69.8) | 84 (30.2) | 1.00 | |
Yes | 207 (82.8) | 43 (17.2) | 0.48 (0.32–0.73) | 0.001 |
Social network | ||||
Has caregiver | ||||
No | 323 (76.9) | 97 (23.1) | 1.00 | 0.315 |
Yes | 78 (72.2) | 30 (27.8) | 1.28 (0.79–2.07) | |
Social isolation (Lubbens Social Network Score-6) | ||||
No (LSNS < 12) | 188 (88.3) | 25 (11.7) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Yes (LSNS ≥ 12) | 213 (67.6) | 102 (32.4) | 3.60 (2.23–5.82) |
Increased Loneliness | aOR (95% CI) | p-Value |
---|---|---|
Staying in rental apartment vs. owner-occupied | ||
Owner-occupied | 1.00 | 0.002 |
Rental apartment | 2.10 (1.32–3.36) | |
Perceptions of neighbourhood physical environment | ||
Better physical environment | 1.00 | 0.012 |
Poorer physical environment | 1.92 (1.15–3.22) | |
Social isolation (Lubbens Social Network Score-6) | ||
No (LSNS < 12) | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Yes (LSNS ≥ 12) | 3.25 (1.96–5.40) | |
Marital status | ||
Not married | 1.00 | 0.027 |
Married | 0.60 (0.39–0.95) | |
Anxiety/mood issues | ||
No | 1.00 | <0.001 |
Yes | 5.68 (2.1–11.88) | |
Global health-related quality of life | ||
No | 1.00 | 0.003 |
Yes | 0.51 (0.33–0.80) |
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Wee, L.E.; Tsang, T.Y.Y.; Yi, H.; Toh, S.A.; Lee, G.L.; Yee, J.; Lee, S.; Oen, K.; Koh, G.C.H. Loneliness amongst Low-Socioeconomic Status Elderly Singaporeans and its Association with Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060967
Wee LE, Tsang TYY, Yi H, Toh SA, Lee GL, Yee J, Lee S, Oen K, Koh GCH. Loneliness amongst Low-Socioeconomic Status Elderly Singaporeans and its Association with Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(6):967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060967
Chicago/Turabian StyleWee, Liang En, Tammy Yun Ying Tsang, Huso Yi, Sue Anne Toh, Geok Ling Lee, Jaime Yee, Shannon Lee, Kellynn Oen, and Gerald Choon Huat Koh. 2019. "Loneliness amongst Low-Socioeconomic Status Elderly Singaporeans and its Association with Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 6: 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060967
APA StyleWee, L. E., Tsang, T. Y. Y., Yi, H., Toh, S. A., Lee, G. L., Yee, J., Lee, S., Oen, K., & Koh, G. C. H. (2019). Loneliness amongst Low-Socioeconomic Status Elderly Singaporeans and its Association with Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060967