The Effects of Loneliness, Stigma, and Social Support on the Health and Mental Health of Older Populations

Dear Colleagues,

By 2050, the older world's population is expected to double to nearly two billion (22% of the world's population). These demographic changes highlight the need to promote the health and well-being of older populations. However, two biopsychosocial phenomena stand out as potential major public health pandemics with major negative impact on the mental health of older adults: loneliness and stigma.

Studies from several countries indicate that between 19% and 30% of older people report feeling loneliness. In addition, data from the World Health Organization from 57 countries indicate that 60% of the general population acknowledges that older adults do not receive the respect they deserve. Meta-analyses have recently found that loneliness increases the risk of dementia, stroke, and overall mortality, whereas other systematic data from 45 countries found that in 95% of the studies, ageist stigma led to negative mental health outcomes. Loneliness and stigma are expected to increase in the coming decades due to the population aging trend, the absence of policies to address these problems efficiently, and the lack of evidence from applied interventions that contribute to the improvement of mental health by reducing the impact of these two phenomena on older adults.

The chronicity of stigma, loneliness, and stress can have significant consequences on the health and mental health of older populations. In particular, older sexual minorities (lesbian, gay, bisexual) are faced with inequalities at various levels, including worse health indicators and poorer levels of adjustment and subjective well-being, when compared to the general older population, due to the impact of minority stress and sexual stigma. In contrast, protective variables, such as connectedness to the LGBT+ community, social support, and resilience, have been shown to play important roles in reducing the negative impact of minority stress and stigma.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Healthcare.

Dr. Pedro Costa
José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves
Guest Editors

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• loneliness
• discrimination
• ageism
• stigma
• sexual stigma
• older people
• stress
• well-being
• social resources
• resilience