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Loneliness triples risk of early death for women: Study
Authors say loneliness is a risk factor that should be screened for by clinicians in the same way as high blood pressure or cholesterol.
The study found the more frequently a person reported feeling lonely, the greater their chance of early death.
Researchers say they have uncovered a causal link between loneliness and early mortality, with a new study suggesting it can triple the risk of early death among Australian women.
Published in BMJ Medicine, the University of Sydney study analysed survey answers from women aged between 48 and 55 at the start of the study, tracking their health outcomes over 15 years.
This data came from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, which asks women questions about their health and wellbeing every three years.
Researchers found that women who did not report loneliness at any point in the 15-year period had a 5% risk of dying, compared to a 15% risk in women who felt lonely throughout the study.
Additionally, the study found that the more frequently a person reported feeling lonely, the greater their chance of early death.
‘Acknowledging loneliness as an independent health risk underscores the importance of screening for loneliness and incorporating public health interventions into healthcare practices,’ the study concluded.
The report’s senior author Professor Melody Ding said mid-life is a period of transition that may affect women more adversely than men.
‘In middle-age, women are more likely to be the primary caregivers for both young children and elderly parents, as well as going through major physical, psychological and social changes in status such as menopause, retirement and children moving away from home,’ Professor Ding said.
‘All of which may affect how socially connected a woman feels.’
In 2022, more than 16% of Australians reported experiencing loneliness.
And while young people report feeling increasingly lonely, ‘the frequency of people aged 65 and over reporting loneliness has been steadily declining since 2001’.
Moving forward, the new study’s lead author Dr Neta HaGani said she hopes the research will lead to further studies into the relationship between loneliness and early mortality.
‘The research is clear that loneliness not only correlates with existing health problems but causes them,’ she said.
‘Loneliness is a risk factor that should be screened for by clinicians, just as we would screen for high blood pressure or cholesterol.
‘We also need to raise the public awareness of loneliness to demystify and destigmatise loneliness.’
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