Summary: A combination of personality traits and childhood circumstances helps explain why some older adults experience greater loneliness than others. The study found that adults aged 50 and over who rarely or never had close, comfortable friendships in childhood were 1.24 times more likely to report loneliness, while those who had a poor relationship with their mother in childhood were 1.34 times more likely to report loneliness in later life.
Source: PLOS
New research published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sophie Guthmuller of Vienna University of Economics and Business examines how early-life conditions relate to loneliness in later life. Using data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the study links childhood circumstances—such as friendships, family relationships, household wealth, and early health—to the likelihood of feeling lonely after age 50.
Loneliness has become a growing public health concern because it is associated with poorer mental health, declines in physical wellbeing, and greater use of health care services. This study investigates which factors from both early life and later life best explain why some older adults are lonelier than others, controlling for personality, socioeconomic status, social support, health, and country-level differences.
Guthmuller measured loneliness using the R-UCLA Loneliness Scale and analyzed responses from adults aged 50 and older across multiple European countries. The analysis quantifies the relative contribution of different categories of factors to the variation in loneliness.
The results show that current health status is the strongest single correlate of loneliness in older age, accounting for 43.32% of the explained variance. Social support and social network characteristics in later life account for 27.05% of the variance, while personality traits explain 10.42% and childhood circumstances explain 7.50%.
More specifically, the odds of experiencing loneliness after age 50 were 1.24 times higher for people who rarely or never had comfortable friendships in childhood compared with those who more often had friends. Those who reported a fair or poor relationship with their mother in childhood were 1.34 times more likely to feel lonely in later life than those who reported an excellent maternal relationship. Growing up in a household with limited wealth increased the odds of later-life loneliness by about 1.21 times relative to growing up in a wealthy household.
Personality also plays an important role. Individuals with higher levels of neuroticism were more likely to report loneliness (OR 1.20), whereas higher scores for conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and openness were associated with lower chances of loneliness. These associations persisted after controlling for a wide range of factors in later life.
Guthmuller emphasizes that these findings confirm the lasting influence of social networks, relationships, and personality across the life course. While addressing health problems and strengthening social support in later life remain key strategies to reduce loneliness, the study highlights the additional importance of early-life conditions. Interventions that promote healthy childhood relationships and social skills may help reduce the risk of loneliness decades later.
The author notes that efforts to reduce loneliness should be twofold: prevention early in life to limit long-term risk, and tailored interventions in later life that consider individual personality differences. Adapting social programs and community support to accommodate diverse personality types may improve their effectiveness for older adults.
“The study finds, as expected, that health status and social support at older ages are the two main factors correlated with loneliness at age 50+,” Guthmuller writes. “Importantly, personality traits and life circumstances during childhood remain significantly associated with loneliness later in life, even after accounting for a large set of later-life conditions.”
Given recent trends in childhood social isolation and the disruptions to children’s lives caused by events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the study underlines the potential long-term benefits of policies and programs that strengthen early social bonds and family relationships.
About this loneliness and neurodevelopment research news
Author: Press Office
Source: PLOS
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Original Research: Open access.
Title: Loneliness among older adults in Europe: The relative importance of early and later life conditions by Sophie Guthmuller et al., PLOS ONE
Abstract
Loneliness among older adults in Europe: The relative importance of early and later life conditions
This paper examines the association between childhood circumstances and loneliness among older adults in Europe. Using detailed information from the SHARE survey on childhood conditions and on adults aged 50 and over, the study controls for personality traits, socioeconomic and demographic factors, social support and health in later life, as well as country-specific characteristics.
The analysis reveals robust correlations between childhood life circumstances and feelings of loneliness in older age. These associations remain statistically significant after adjusting for a comprehensive set of later-life covariates.
Although poor health in later life emerges as the most important factor linked to loneliness among those aged 50 and above, personality traits explain more than 10% of the variation accounted for by the model, and childhood circumstances contribute approximately 7% of the explained variance.
Social support in later life represents the second-largest category of factors, accounting for about 27% of the explained variance. Within that category, in-home support and social network characteristics each contribute roughly 10%, while participation in activities and computer skills explain about 7% of the variance. Demographic and socioeconomic factors account for around 6%, and country-level characteristics add about 5%.
The paper underscores the value of early-life interventions to reduce loneliness in later life and suggests that programs aimed at increasing social support for older adults should be tailored to different personality types. It also recommends further research to explore the mechanisms linking loneliness across the life course, and to better understand how childhood experiences shape social and emotional outcomes in older age.