Do you live alone?Research shows that isolation increases risk of depression – Nationwide

grown ups live alone more likely to deal with higher rates depressionThis is especially true for people who lack social and emotional support, according to a recent report.

report, Released on Thursday The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found that 6.4 percent of adults living alone report depression, compared to 4.1 percent of adults living with others.

“People are,living alone There may be an increased risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with increased risk of death and negative health outcomes. mental health “Outcomes are better compared to those living with a spouse or partner,” the authors said in the study.

In 2021, 4.4 million Canadians lived alone, up from 1.7 million in 1981. This makes her 15 percent of all adults aged 15 and over in households, the highest percentage on record. According to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada says the continued increase in single-person households despite economic downturns and housing affordability issues in some regions is almost entirely due to an aging population. As a result, living alone remains the most common among older people.

The NCHS report found that age matters when it comes to living alone. Across most age groups (30-44 years, 45-64 years, and 65 years and older), adults living alone were more likely to report depression than adults living with others. There were no significant differences in the proportion of adults aged 18 to 29.

To explore the possible link between loneliness and living alone, NCHS reviewed data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, which spoke to a sample of more than 29,400 adults living in the United States. The survey was conducted by telephone or personal visit.

Housing type was defined by the number of adults and children under 18 years living in the household. An adult is defined as living alone if there is one adult living in the household and she has no children under 18 years of age. All other responses were classified as living with someone else.

According to the survey, 16% of all adults lived alone in the United States in 2021. Among adults living alone, 39.2 percent were over the age of 65, while 18.9 percent of all adults living with others were over the age of 65.

The report found that adults living alone were more likely (10.9%) to report having limited social and emotional support, compared to just 6.1% of adults living with others.

“Social and emotional support has been shown to be protective of health, and this finding suggests that further research can examine the relationship between social and emotional support, living alone, and health outcomes.” ” said the authors.

Living alone may increase the incidence of depression, but the problem remains complex, the authors said.

For example, some people actively choose to live alone and experience no negative effects on their physical and mental health. On the other hand, some people may end up living alone due to the death of a spouse or partner.

“Furthermore, while living alone can increase the risk of social isolation, people who live alone are more likely to actively participate in their work and community, and have access to social networks and social and emotional networks that may protect their mental health.” “They may have access to additional support,” the authors write. Added.

Living alone may also reflect improved health, the study claims. People who are healthy may have a greater ability to live independently than people who are in poor health.

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report coming Months after the World Health Organization (WHO) It declared loneliness a “global public health concern.” On November 16, 2023, the WHO warned that loneliness could soon become a global epidemic leading to dementia, heart disease, stroke and premature death.

And in May 2023The US Surgeon General has warned that the loneliness epidemic poses a health risk as deadly as smoking 12 cigarettes a day.

Loneliness has long been a growing concern in Canada and many other countries. But experts say the coronavirus pandemic is The problem was further exacerbated by increased social isolation and decreased social support.

One of the ways that loneliness and isolation impact physical and mental health is through “changes in people's brains that contribute to disconnection,” says Dr. Schneider, a social worker and clinical director at Straight Up Health in Toronto. Jake Ernst says: told Global News in May 2023.

“It changes the executive functions that occur in the front part of our brains and actually starts to affect the way we connect, think, plan, organize and interact socially with other people,” Ernst says. he explained.

This may include people who live alone.

Statistics Canada's 2021 report highlights the importance of social connections to overall health, raising concerns about the mental health of individuals living alone.

“The likelihood of experiencing social isolation may be particularly increased among older adults living alone,” the report states.

According to Statistics Canada, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in fewer people living alone as a result of lockdowns, physical distancing, household “bubbles” and other related public health measures. Many opportunities for face-to-face social connections have been lost.

as part of Statistics Canada's new quality of life statistics programAs of late 2021, nearly a quarter (24 percent) of people living alone said they always or often felt lonely, compared with those living with others (11 percent). ) is reported to have more than doubled.

The report found that people who frequently felt lonely reported poorer mental health and lower overall life satisfaction than those who felt less lonely.

— With files from Sarah Do Cuto of Global News