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Social change and birth cohort increase in loneliness among Chinese older adults: a cross-temporal meta-analysis, 1995–2011

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2014

Zhimin Yan ,
Xun Yang ,
Lei Wang ,
Yuhan Zhao  and
Lin Yu
Zhimin Yan
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
Xun Yang
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
Lei Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine V, Medical Clinic, University Clinic Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
Yuhan Zhao
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
Lin Yu*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Lin Yu, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China. Phone: +86-13983627279; Fax: +86-68213242. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

In China, rapid economic growth and increasing social problems constitute the two basic characteristics underlying contemporary social change. With dramatic social change, loneliness in older adults may have changed across birth cohorts, thus altering older adults’ mental health. The present study aims to identify birth cohort changes in Chinese older adults’ loneliness and the social indicators underlying these changes.

Methods:

Cross-temporal meta-analysis was utilized to investigate changes in Chinese older adults’ loneliness from 1995 to 2011. We analyzed 25 studies (N = 13,280 adults; age ≥ 60 years) employing the University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. We correlated loneliness scores with social indicators and matched these correlations for three periods: ten years before the data collection, five years before data collection, and during the year of data collection.

Results:

Loneliness levels in Chinese older adults have increased by 1.02 standard deviations from 1995 to 2011. Social indicators such as increased urbanization level, personal medical expenditure, divorce rate, the Gini coefficient, and unemployment rate significantly predicted loneliness in Chinese older adults. Decrease in social connectedness and increase in levels of health threat may be responsible for the observed increase in levels of loneliness.

Conclusions:

Cross-temporal meta-analysis revealed a birth cohort increase in loneliness among Chinese older adults. We conclude that changes in social connectedness and levels of health threat likely play an important role in predicting loneliness in the population of Chinese elderly adults.

Keywords

birth cohortlonelinessChinese older adultssocial indicatorscross-temporal meta-analysis
Type
Review Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 26 , Issue 11 , November 2014 , pp. 1773 - 1781
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2014 

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