ArticleInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2022
Social isolation, social support, and loneliness and their relationship with cognitive health and dementia.
Article in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Toward better technology for social health in dementia: a review of implementation recommendations and research priorities to equitably meet the demand.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Writing as cognitive rehabilitation in MCI and dementia: a systematic review of therapeutic benefits and applications.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Social Isolation and Social Support Influence Health Service Utilisation and Survival after a Cardiovascular Disease Event: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Interventions Associated With Reduced Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Associations of Social Engagement and Perceived Interpersonal Connectedness With Cognitive, Mental, and Physical Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Adults.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Associations of Social Support, Loneliness, and Physical Activity with Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death.Journal of personality and social psychology · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic status and cognitive function in older adults: the mediating roles of social activity and loneliness in three aging cohorts.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Digital Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in China: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study and Moderated Mediation Model Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Loneliness as a sex-specific risk factor for cognitive aging.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Living alone and risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and institutionalization in the MEMENTO cohort.Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Psychological well-being in cognitively intact adults aged 80+: Findings from the SuperAging Research Initiative.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Piloting home telepresence to support social connectedness among older adults in remote Irish communities.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Cognitive impairment and contexts: examining the intersections of social activity participation and neighborhood perceptions.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Effect of social support on memory ageing of middle-aged and older cancer survivors: a marginal structural modelling approach.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Social Frailty and Social Isolation in the Context of Dementia: A Simultaneous Concept Analysis.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2025Review
- Loneliness and Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease, Axonal Damage, and Astrogliosis: A Coordinated Analysis of Two Longitudinal Cohorts.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Changes in Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Social Support: A Gender-Disaggregated Analysis of Their Associations With Dementia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2025Article
- Social isolation, loneliness, and their joint effects on cognitive decline and incident Alzheimer's disease: Findings from the Chicago health and aging project.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2025Article
- Social determinants of health and risk of dementia among older men and women: A 12-year cohort study in Australia.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPoor social health is prevalent in older adults and may be associated with worse cognition, and increased dementia risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether social isolation, social support and loneliness are independently associated with cognitive function and incident dementia over 5 years in older adults, and to investigate potential gender differences.
methodsParticipants were 11,498 community-dwelling relatively healthy Australians aged 70-94, in the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP). Social isolation, social support, loneliness and cognitive function were assessed through self-report. Outcomes examined were cognitive decline (>1.5 SD decline in cognitive performance since baseline) and incident dementia (adjudicated according to DSM-IV criteria).
resultsMost participants self-reported good social health (92%) with very few socially isolated (2%), with low social support (2%) or lonely (5%). Among women, social isolation and low social support were consistently associated with lower cognitive function (e.g., social support and cognition β = -1.17, p < 0.001). No consistent longitudinal associations were observed between baseline social health and cognitive decline (over median 3.1 years) or incident dementia (over median 4.4 years; social isolation: HR = 1.00, p = 0.99; low social support: HR = 1.79, p = 0.11; loneliness: HR = 0.72, p = 0.34 among women and men).
conclusionOur study provides evidence that social isolation and a low social support are associated with worse cognitive function in women, but not men. Social health did not predict incident cognitive decline or dementia, but we lacked power to stratify dementia analyses by gender.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.