You could be more likely to suffer a stroke depending on your relationship status, according to new Harvard research that reveals chronically lonely adults are at a higher risk.
A new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examines feelings in older adults that can boost threat over time – showing that chronic loneliness may significantly raise the risk of a stroke.
Harvard study shows loneliness is related to a stroke
A stroke is a very serious condition where the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off. It occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures), as the American Stroke Association explains.
A new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (published00218-9/fulltext) in eClinicalMedicine) examined the association between loneliness changes and stroke risk over time, using 2006-2018 data from the Health and Retirement Study.
Results found that there is a 56 percent greater stroke risk for study participants who experienced chronic loneliness than for those who consistently reported not being lonely.
Chronic loneliness occurs when feelings of loneliness and uncomfortable social isolation go on for a long period of time, it is characterized by constant and unrelenting feelings of being alone, separated, or divided from others, according to Cigna Healthcare.
The study on loneliness was carried out between 2006 and 2008 on 12,161 adults aged 50 and older who had never had a stroke, using the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Four years later, 8,936 of these participants answered the same questions again. Researchers categorized participants into four groups based on their loneliness scores: consistently low, remitting (high then low), recent onset (low then high), and consistently high.
Over the follow-up period (2006-2018 for the baseline group and 2010-2018 for the follow-up group), researchers tracked the occurrence of strokes and found that 1,237 strokes occurred in the baseline group and 601 strokes in the follow-up group.
Researchers analyzed each group’s risk of stroke in the context of their experiences with loneliness, accounting for other health and behavioral risk factors. These included social isolation and depressive symptoms, which are closely related to but distinct from loneliness.
The findings showed a link between loneliness and a higher risk of stroke, and found that chronic loneliness heightened the risk the most.
Among the participants who reported loneliness at two-time points, those in the consistently high group had a 56 percent higher risk than those in the consistently low group, even after accounting for a broad range of other known risk factors.
To tackle chronic loneliness in older people, the World Health Organization advises developing social skills training, getting involved in community and support groups, befriending others, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Loneliness is considered a public health issue
The Harvard Gazette reports that lead author Yenee Soh, a research associate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, stated that loneliness is “increasingly considered a major public health issue” and the findings further highlight why that is.
Soh said: “Especially when experienced chronically, our study suggests loneliness may play an important role in stroke incidence, which is already one of the leading causes of long-term disability and mortality worldwide.”
The researcher explained that repeat assessments of loneliness may help identify those who are chronically lonely and are therefore at a higher risk for stroke.
Yenee Soh importantly noted that the interventions “must specifically target loneliness, which is a subjective perception and should not be conflated with social isolation.”
Among other limitations noted in the article, the study findings were limited to middle-aged and older adults and may not be generalizable to younger individuals.
While loneliness can be felt by individuals within a relationship or marriage, it’s more common for people who are not connected with their loved ones and friends. The Center for Social Justice reported single people are more than twice as likely to feel lonely than those who are married (30% compared to 58%).
