Year:
Applicant:
Institution:
Email:
newalln@brandonu.ca
Project ID:
170607
Approved Project Status:
Project Summary
There is a great deal of evidence showing the negative health implications of loneliness and isolation in later life. Researchers are now turning their attention to what can be done to address loneliness and isolation in older adults. However, determining solutions requires a clear understanding of the pathways into loneliness. One way of examining the causes or pathways is to examine social barriers. For some, a barrier to participation may be lack of time; for others it may be economic (lack of money) or environmental (lack of transportation; weather). The type of barrier provides important clues as to how to address isolation, or, conversely, to foster participation. The present study will examine social barriers data collected as part of CLSA with the purpose of extending our understanding of the pathways into social isolation and loneliness.
Project Findings
Understanding the barriers that people face in being as socially active as they would like can help identify causes of social withdrawal or isolation. Barriers may differ based on external or internal factors like where a person lives or personal characteristics. This study explored the social barriers reported by participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), by urban/rural community type (e.g., greater or less than 1000 people) and by age group (ages 45-64 and 65-85). Drawing on baseline CLSA data (approx. 50,000 people), participants who indicated wanting to be more socially active were asked to report barriers (e.g., being too busy; health conditions). A slightly greater proportion of urban-living (44.7%) compared to rural-living (40.1%) indicated wanting to be more socially active. A higher proportion of people aged 45-64 reported wanting to participate in more social activities (50.4%) compared to those aged 65-85 (35.3%). The top three social barriers were ‘being too busy,’ ‘personal responsibilities,’ and ‘health conditions;’ and results were similar regardless of rural/urban living. Results suggest that ‘time’ factors play an important role in whether people report they are not participating in as many social activities as they would like to, especially for the 45-64 age group.