TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Behavioral Epidemic of Loneliness in Older U.S. Military Veterans: Results From the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
JO  - American journal of geriatric psychiatry
A1  - Straus, Elizabeth
A1  - Norman, Sonya B.
A1  - Tripp, Jessica C.
A1  - Tsai, Jack
A1  - Sippel, Lauren M.
A1  - Jeste, Dilip V.
A1  - Southwick, Steven M.
A1  - Pietrzak, Robert H.
SP  - 297
EP  - 310
VL  - 30
IS  - 3
N2  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the current prevalence of loneliness, and the relation between loneliness severity and mental and physical health conditions, suicidality, and functional measures in a predominantly older sample of U.S. military veterans.  METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. veterans (N = 4,069; mean age = 62) from November 2019 through March 2020. Veterans were classified into one of 3 groups based on their current level of loneliness (hardly ever, sometimes, often) on an adapted version of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. A comprehensive range of mental and physical health, and functioning variables were assessed using valid and reliable self-report assessments.  RESULTS: A total of 56.9% of veterans endorsed feeling lonely sometimes (37.2%) or often (19.7%). Loneliness severity was independently associated with a range of mental health (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.21-33.30), physical health (ORs = 1.21-6.80), and functional difficulties (d's = 0.09-0.59). Relative to hardly ever feeling lonely, feeling lonely often or sometimes was associated with a more than 12- and three-fold greater likelihood of current suicidal ideation (29.0% versus 7.3% versus 1.5%), even after adjustment for sociodemographic, military, and psychiatric risk factors.  CONCLUSIONS: Loneliness is highly prevalent in U.S. military veterans, with more than half endorsing feeling lonely sometimes or often, and 1-of-5 reporting feeling lonely often. Loneliness severity was independently associated with a broad range of mental and physical health and functional measures, ias well as suicidal ideation. <br><br>RESULTS underscore the importance of loneliness as a transdiagnostic prevention and intervention target in the U.S. veteran population.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1064-7481
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.07.006
ID  - ref1
ER  -