ARTICLE
Effect of loneliness on mental health and cognition: A study on middle-aged and older adults in India
Bijeta Mishra,
Suman Dhaka,
Bijeta Mishra
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Suman Dhaka
School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Correspondence
Suman Dhaka, School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur 342037, Rajasthan, India. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this author
Bijeta Mishra,
Suman Dhaka,
Bijeta Mishra
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Suman Dhaka
School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Correspondence
Suman Dhaka, School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur 342037, Rajasthan, India. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this author
First published: 16 September 2023
Abstract
Objectives
The article assesses the impact of loneliness and age on the mental health and cognitive functioning of individuals aged 45 and above in the Indian context. The mediating effect of marital status and age on the way loneliness impacts individuals’ cognition and mental health is examined.
Methods
Data were obtained from the pilot wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, and scores of 1578 participants were considered for analysis. Standardised and validated measures were employed to measure loneliness, mental health and cognition of the participants. Multivariate analysis was employed to investigate the impact of loneliness and age on cognition and mental health. Structural equation modelling was used for evaluating the mediating effect of age and marital status.
Results
Loneliness significantly impacted mental health and global cognitive function, whereas age significantly impacted episodic memory and total cognition. Marital status had a significant mediating role on the impact of loneliness on individuals’ mental health and cognitive functioning.
Discussion
Fostering social support among lonely individuals might help mitigate loneliness, enhance their mental health status, and slow down cognitive decline.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The author(s) also declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Open Research
PEER REVIEW
The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/issj.12454.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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