Psychological stress in Mongolian elderly is more influenced by subjective loneliness than objective social isolation.

Yoshitaka SHIBA, Yanjinsuren BATBAYAR, Yasuhiro ENDO, Baasankhuu ERDENEE, Eri TAKAHASHI, Maki OGASAWARA, Yoshitsugu OMORI, Takashi SAITO, Akie KAWAMURA, Ariunaa KHADBAATAR, Munkh-Erdeme BAYARTAI, Toshimasa SONE, Namuun GANBAATAR, Batlkham DAMBADARJAA
Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to clarify the impact of social isolation and loneliness on psychological stress in elderly individuals, focusing on an Asian population.

Methods:

The participants of this study were 69 elderly individuals (mean age: 72.2±5.8 years; 17 males and 52 females) living in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and Mandalgobi, Dundgobi Province. The following variables were adjusted: age, gender, medication use, BMI (Body Mass Index), survey region (two locations), and 17 items from the IPAQ-E (International Physical Activity Questionnaire Environmental Module) (Yuri S., et al., 2021). The independent variables included objective measures of social isolation, assessed using the LSNS-6 (Lubben Social Network Scale), and subjective measures of loneliness, assessed using the Short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale. The dependent variable was psychological stress, measured by the Kessler 6 (K6: Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale), with scores of 5 or higher defined as “likely to have psychological stress.” Logistic regression analysis was conducted using the enter method based on this model.

Results:

The analysis revealed that psychological stress was not significantly influenced by objective social isolation (OR: 0.9, 95% CI: 0.8–1.1, P=0.3), but was significantly associated with subjective feelings of loneliness (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–3.1, P=0.01).

Conclusion(s):

Previous studies targeting Japanese populations have reported that feelings of social isolation and loneliness are associated with depressive symptoms (Natsuho K., et al, 2024). The current study, which focused on Mongolian elderly, yielded similar results, suggesting a broader relevance of these findings across different cultures.

Implications:

Objective social isolation appears to have little association with depressive symptoms. However, the significant relationship between subjective loneliness and psychological stress highlights the importance of addressing elderly individuals’ emotional experiences. This finding suggests that engaging in meaningful dialogue and empathetic interactions with elderly people is crucial for supporting their mental health.

Funding acknowledgements:
N/A
Keywords:
Psychological stress
loneliness
older people
Primary topic:
Mental health
Second topic:
Sustainable health
Third topic:
Older people
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Institution:Fukushima Medical University Ethics committee:The Research Ethics Committee of Fukushima Medical University
Provide the ethics approval number:
REC2023-064
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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