@article{ref1,
title="Loneliness and isolated living status in middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan: exploration on stress-related biomarkers, depressive symptoms, and disability",
journal="BMC psychiatry",
year="2022",
author="Tsai, Tsung-Yu and Chiu, Ching-Ju and Wang, Tzu-Yun and Tseng, Huai-Hsuan and Chen, Kao-Chin and Chen, Po-See and Yang, Yen-Kuang",
volume="22",
number="1",
pages="e177-e177",
abstract="PURPOSE: Loneliness is a subjective feeling by which an individual perceives a lack of closeness in interpersonal relationships. An isolated living status is linked with higher odds of risky health behavior. The conflicting impacts of loneliness and isolated living status on stress-related biomarkers, depressive symptoms, and disability remain unexplained. <br><br>METHODS: Six hundred twenty-nine participants aged 66.0 (SD=7.3) separated into four groups: &quot;Lonely and Isolated,&quot; &quot;Not Lonely, but Isolated,&quot; &quot;Lonely, but Not Isolated,&quot; and &quot;Neither Lonely, nor Isolated,&quot; were retrieved from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study conducted in 2000. Follow-up health indicators in 2006 included three stress-related biomarkers, depressive symptoms, and two physical disability indicators. A hierarchical regression was performed for the analysis. <br><br>RESULTS: Firstly, compared to the &quot;Neither Lonely nor Isolated&quot; group, only the &quot;Lonely, but Not Isolated&quot; participants at baseline retained positive associations with the stress-related biomarkers levels 6 years later (urine cortisol level (B=9.25, 95% CI=3.24-15.27), serum Interleukin-6 level (B=2.76, 95% CI=0.72-4.79) and the serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level (B=0.40, 95% CI=0.17-0.62)). However, such associations were not observed in the &quot;Lonely and Isolated&quot; participants. Secondly, only &quot;Lonely and Isolated&quot; participants at baseline were positively associated with depressive symptoms 6 years later (B=1.70, 95% CI=0.11-3.30). Finally, the associations between combinations of loneliness and isolated living status and physical disability were eliminated after adjusting the covariables. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Four combinations of loneliness and isolated living status were associated with different impacts on stress-related biomarkers, depressive symptoms, and physical disability. Further dynamic investigations are warranted.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-244X",
doi="10.1186/s12888-022-03824-3",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03824-3"
}