Cross-sectional Analysis of the Relationship Between Unwanted Loneliness and Perceived Health in Users of Senior Centers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Unwanted loneliness is common among older adults, with negative effects on their well-being and quality of life. We aimed to deter-mine the prevalence of unwanted loneliness and its relationship with perceived health among indi-viduals over 65 years old who use senior centers of the Junta de Andalucía located in the city of Al-geciras, Cádiz, Spain.Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study using the Este II Social Loneliness Scale along with other sociodemographic, econom-ic, habit, and health variables, collected through questionnaires in personal interviews at the Res-idential Center for the Elderly and Active Par-ticipation Center I. A partial correlation analysis adjusted for variables that reached significance was performed. Ethical committee approval from the Junta de Andalucía was obtained (code SI-CEIA-2024-000074).Results: Ninety questionnaires were collected from 21 men and 69 women aged between 65 and 95 years. The predominant education lev-el was primary, and the income level was below 12,000 euros per year. The prevalence of loneli-ness was below the average for the autonomous community. Perceived health improves as loneli-ness values decrease (p=0.004). The correlational analysis between perceived health and adjusted loneliness level for significant variables showed a trend value (p=0.068).Conclusions: The prevalence of unwanted loneliness in the city of Algeciras is lower than the regional prevalence. The trend value of statistical significance suggests that higher levels of loneli-ness are associated with worse perceived health. It is necessary to increase the sample size and col-lect data from more user centers to confirm this relationship.
Institution: University of Sassari
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162046590