New York– Middle-aged Americans report some of the highest levels of loneliness, surpassing even older generations, according to a new international study released Tuesday. The research assessed tens of thousands of adults aged 50 to 90 across 29 countries, revealing unique trends in loneliness among age groups.
Published in the journal Aging and Mental Health, the peer-reviewed study found that while loneliness generally increases with age in most countries, the United States and the Netherlands stand out as exceptions — with middle-aged adults reporting higher levels of loneliness than their older counterparts.
“There’s a common perception that people become lonelier as they age, but in the U.S., the opposite appears to be true,” said lead author Robin Richardson, a social and psychiatric epidemiologist and assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “Middle-aged adults here are lonelier than older generations.”
Historically, interventions aimed at addressing loneliness have focused on older adults and adolescents. Richardson noted that middle-aged adults represent a critical, yet overlooked, population in this growing public health concern.
Loneliness has been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes, including physical, cognitive, mental, and behavioral health issues, all of which reduce quality of life and increase disease risk.
For the study, Richardson collaborated with researchers from Columbia University, McGill University in Canada, and Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile, analyzing data from 64,324 adults across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
While the study confirmed that loneliness tends to rise with age, the degree of increase varied significantly by country. For instance, adults in Bulgaria and Latvia experienced the sharpest rise in loneliness as they aged. Meanwhile, Cyprus and Greece reported the highest overall levels of loneliness among adults aged 50 to 90.
However, the United States and the Netherlands stood out for having substantially higher rates of loneliness among middle-aged adults compared to older generations.
Key factors contributing to loneliness included being unmarried, not working, depression, and poor health, though the weight of these factors varied across countries. In the U.S., not working was the primary contributor to elevated loneliness in middle-aged adults, whereas in many other nations, unemployment had a stronger impact on older adults.
The researchers suggest that middle-aged adults in the U.S. may face unique social pressures that contribute to their heightened loneliness — such as limited leisure time due to competing demands from work, childcare, and caregiving for aging parents.
“Given that loneliness is influenced by local social circumstances and life stages, health policies and social programs aimed at reducing loneliness should first identify which age groups are most at risk within specific regions,” the authors concluded. (Source: IANS)
