An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness.
By N. Leigh-Hunt, D. Bagguley, K. Bash, V. Turner, S. Turnbull, Nicole K Valtorta, W. Caan. Public Health, 2017
1,819 citations recorded by the source corpus.
OBJECTIVES Social isolation and loneliness have been associated with ill health and are common in the developed world. A clear understanding of their implications for morbidity and mortality is needed to gauge the extent of the associated public health challenge and the potential benefit of intervention. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review of systematic reviews (systematic overview) was undertaken to determine the wider consequences of social isolation and loneliness, identify any differences between the two, determine differences from findings of non-systematic reviews and to clarify the direction of causality. METHODS Eight databases were searched from 1950 to 2016 for English language reviews covering social isolation and loneliness but not solely social support. Suitability for inclusion was determined by two or more reviewers, the methodological quality of included systematic reviews assessed using the a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR) checklist and the quality of evidence within these reviews using the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE) approach. Non-systematic reviews were sought for a comparison of findings but not included in the primary narrative synthesis. RESULTS Forty systematic reviews of mainly observational studies were identified, largely from the developed world. Meta-analyses have identified a significant association between social isolation and loneliness with increased all-cause mortality and social isolation with cardiovascular disease. Narrative systematic reviews suggest associations with poorer mental health outcomes, with less strong evidence for behavioural and other physical health outcomes. No reviews were identified for wider socio-economic or developmental outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This systematic overview highlights that there is consistent evidence linking social isolation and loneliness to worse cardiovascular and mental health outcomes. The role of social isolation and loneliness in other conditions and their socio-economic consequences is less clear. More research is needed on associations with cancer, health behaviours, and the impact across the life course and wider socio-economic consequences. Policy makers and health and local government commissioners should consider social isolation and loneliness as important upstream factors impacting on morbidity and mortality due to their effects on cardiovascular and mental health. Prevention strategies should therefore be developed across the public and voluntary sectors, using an asset-based approach.
Subfields: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Epidemiology, Health
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/21c42f9f38cacdbbc11267fdf596908fb10793ba
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In Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
In Epidemiology
Citations in the corpus
- COVID-19 anxiety symptoms associated with problematic smartphone use severity in Chinese adults (2020, neutral): “Given that social isolation drives emotional distress and negative affect (Hawkley and Cacioppo, 2010; Leigh-Hunt et al., 2017), general anxiety and depression as well as anxiety specific to COVID-19 should, in turn, exacerbate PSU (reviewed in Elhai et al.”
- ‘The invisible enemy’: disability, loneliness and isolation (2018, background): “In a similar study examining how loneliness affects individuals throughout their life course, Luhmann and Hawkley (2016) discovered that loneliness impacted on people’s experiences at key points in a person’s biography.”
- COVID-19 and the cardiovascular system: implications for risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options (2020, background): “[142] [143] [144] [145] [146] [147] [148] [149] [150] [151] A recent meta-analysis including a total of 181 006 participants 152 demonstrated that the risk for ischaemic heart disease and stroke increased by 29% and 32%, respectively, in lonely and socially isolated people.”
- Social support and recovery from mental health problems: a scoping review (2021, background): “…have suggested linkages between social support and mental health or mental health service use in general (Beauregard, Marchand, and Blanc 2011; Leigh-Hunt et al. 2017; Terry and Townley 2019; Tol et al. 2011; Wang et al. 2018) and in specific population groups (McDonald 2018; Tough, Siegrist,…”
- Depression and Anxiety in Hong Kong during COVID-19 (2020, background): “Given this situation, it is important to note that a systematic review reported consistent evidence linking social isolation and loneliness to poor mental health [29].”
- Anxiety and depression in COVID-19 survivors: Role of inflammatory and clinical predictors (2020, positive): “Also considering the worse severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients, this observation suggests that less healthcare support could have increased the social isolation and loneliness typical of COVID-19 pandemics, thus inducing more psychopathology after remission (Ozbay et al., 2007; Leigh-Hunt ”
- The social determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations (2024, background): “Interest in loneliness 214,215 and social isolation 43,215 as social determinants of mental health and disorder has burgeoned in the last decade.”