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'Loneliness in the city': examining socio-economics, loneliness and poor health in the North East of England.

Macdonald, Stephen J, Deacon, Lesley and Nixon, J (2018) 'Loneliness in the city': examining socio-economics, loneliness and poor health in the North East of England. Journal of Public Health, 165. pp. 88-94. ISSN 0033-3506

Item Type: Article

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this study was to discover whether lower socio-economic status is associated with increased experiences of loneliness and isolation. The research subsequently determined whether this relationship impacted health inequalities.

STUDY DESIGN:
The study used a cross-sectional, self-reported survey collecting information on loneliness, isolation and poor health (n = 680). The survey was administered through Sunderland District Council in 2016-2017, and data were analysed at The University of Sunderland.

METHODS:
The study used a quantitative approach, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics, engaging in univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels of analysis.

RESULTS:
A number of significant findings emerged from the data analysis, linking lower socio-economic status to experiences of loneliness (P = 0.000) and social isolation (P = 0.000). When determining if social isolation and socio-economics had a detrimental impact on a person's health, no statistical association was discovered (P = 0.098). Yet, there was a significant relationship concerning socio-economic status, loneliness and poor health (P = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS:
The authors have identified a number of associations within the data with reference to isolation, loneliness and poor health. Therefore, participants from a lower socio-economic group experienced disproportionately high levels of social isolation and emotional loneliness when compared with other socio-economic groups. The data also demonstrate that participants who experienced loneliness, and who were from a lower socio-economic background, were consistently more likely to report poor health than those from other socio-economic backgrounds.

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Related URLs:
Depositing User: Klaire Purvis-Shepherd

Identifiers

Item ID: 10592
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.09.003
ISSN: 0033-3506
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/10592
Official URL: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/public-health

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Stephen J Macdonald: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4409-9535
ORCID for Lesley Deacon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0031-2445

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 26 Mar 2019 14:02
Last Modified: 18 Dec 2023 09:49

Contributors

Author: Stephen J Macdonald ORCID iD
Author: Lesley Deacon ORCID iD
Author: J Nixon

University Divisions

Faculty of Education and Society
Faculty of Education and Society > School of Social Sciences

Subjects

Social Sciences > Health and Social Care
Social Sciences > Sociology
Social Sciences

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