ArticleEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2021
The role of loneliness in the development of depressive symptoms among partnered dementia caregivers: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging.
Article in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions to Reduce Loneliness in Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for carers of people with severe mental and substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Pooled it
- Symptom Clusters in Family Caregivers of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients: Loneliness as a Risk Factor.Transplantation and cellular therapy · 2023Trial
- Sequential mediation of social resources, affiliate stigma, loneliness, and positive aspects of caregiving among Chinese and Korean American dementia caregivers.International journal of nursing sciences · 2026Article
- Prevalence of loneliness and its associated factors in middle-aged and older adults with breathlessness: a nationally representative cohort study.BMJ open respiratory research · 2026Article
- Risk factors for loneliness among older informal caregivers in regions of Finland and Sweden: a longitudinal study.Scandinavian journal of public health · 2026Article
- Loneliness in caregivers of people with chronic illnesses: conceptual analysis according to Walker and Avant.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2026Article
- Heightened risk: Childhood trauma and anticipatory grief exacerbate the impact of loneliness on depressive symptoms and LPS-stimulated cytokines in dementia caregivers.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Development of a Mindfulness and Self-compassion (MASC) Stress Reduction Program for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia With Behavioral Symptoms.The Gerontologist · 2025Article
- The impact of social isolation and loneliness on the well-being of carers of a person with dementia in aotearoa New Zealand.Dementia (London, England) · 2025Article
- Caregiving Situation as a Predictor of Subjective Caregiver Burden: Informal Caregivers of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Stigma, isolation, and depression in Chinese and Korean American dementia caregivers.Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)Article
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Abstract
backgroundDepressive symptoms are highly prevalent among partnered dementia caregivers, but the mechanisms are unclear. This study examined the mediating role of loneliness in the association between dementia and other types of care on subsequent depressive symptoms.
methodsProspective data from partnered caregivers were drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. The sample consisted of 4,672 partnered adults aged 50-70 living in England and Wales, followed up between 2006-2007 and 2014-2015. Caregiving was assessed across waves 3 (2006-2007), 4 (2008-2009), and 5 (2010-2011), loneliness at wave 6 (2012-2013), and subsequent depressive symptoms at wave 7 (2014-15). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between caregiving for dementia and depressive symptoms compared to caregiving for other illnesses (e.g., diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, and stroke). Binary mediation analysis was used to estimate the indirect effects of caregiving on depressive symptoms via loneliness.
resultsCare for a partner with dementia was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms at follow-up compared to those not caring for a partner at all (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.4, 5.1). This association was partially mediated by loneliness (34%). Care for a partner with other conditions was also associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms compared to non-caregiving partners (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.5), but there was no evidence of an indirect pathway via loneliness.
conclusionLoneliness represents an important contributor to the relationship between dementia caregiving and subsequent depressive symptoms; therefore, interventions to reduce loneliness among partnered dementia caregivers should be considered.
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