Publications by authors named "M G Aartsen"
Social exclusion (SE) and its detrimental health outcomes are a key concern in European policies. This study investigates whether childless older adults face a higher risk of SE compared to those with children, how these potential differences have evolved, and whether SE among childless older men differs from that experienced by childless older women. Children are perceived in most cultures as an insurance of social integration in old age.
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- The study explores how loneliness and social isolation affect the 20-year mortality rates of older adults, using data from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation study (NorLAG).
- It analyzed responses from nearly 10,000 participants, finding that social isolation increased mortality risk by 15-16% and was influenced by factors like having no partner and little contact with family.
- For men, feeling lonely when asked directly was linked to higher mortality risk, but loneliness assessed indirectly didn't show a significant impact once social isolation was considered.
Background: Later life loneliness has become a significant public health concern worldwide. Research has focused on the prevalence, risk factors and consequences of loneliness in different age groups. This study aimed to advance the understanding of the impact of early-life circumstances on later life loneliness by examining the associations between adversities in childhood and youth and loneliness trajectories in Finnish older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the prevalence of loneliness in many countries worldwide which have different ways of assessing it.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Setting: We searched seven electronic databases for English peer-reviewed studies published between 1992 and 2021.
Article Synopsis
- - Social exclusion (SE) is the process by which individuals or groups are cut off from mainstream society, leading to worse health outcomes, especially among older adults in Balkan states.
- - The study identifies four distinct types of SE through data from the European Quality of Life Survey, with varying severity and associated risk factors: low SE risk (50%), material exclusion (23%), material and social exclusion (4%), and multidimensional exclusion (23%).
- - Findings suggest that lower education, poorer health, and decreased social trust increase the risk of experiencing SE, indicating the need for targeted policies that consider these variations and their impacts to effectively reduce SE in society.