Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Vulnerable, Diverse, and Minority Groups: Novel Research and Practical Insights

Chair(s)

• RO

  Roger O'Sullivan, PhD, MFPH, FGSA,

  Director of Ageing
  Ageing
  Institute of Public Health in Ireland
  Belfast, Dublin, Ireland

Co-Chair(s)

• CV

  Christina Victor, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Professor of Gerontology and Public Health
  Department of Health Sciences
  Brunel University London
  London, England, United Kingdom

Discussant(s)

• 

  Thomas Cudjoe, MD, MPH, MA (he/him/his)

  Assistant Professor
  Medicine
  Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• MP

  Mary Louise Pomeroy, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  Center for Equity in Aging
  Johns Hopkins University
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• RO

  Roger O'Sullivan, PhD, MFPH, FGSA,

  Director of Ageing
  Ageing
  Institute of Public Health in Ireland
  Belfast, Dublin, Ireland
• HT

  Harry Taylor, PhD, MSW, MPH (he/him/his)

  Assistant Professor
  Faculty of Social Work
  University of Toronto
  Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• CV

  Christina Victor, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Professor of Gerontology and Public Health
  Department of Health Sciences
  Brunel University London
  London, England, United Kingdom

Loneliness and social isolation are global public health challenges with concerning implications for mental, cognitive, and physical health. Extensive evidence documents the prevalence, incidence, and negative health outcomes associated with loneliness and social isolation. In contrast, there is a dearth of research offering focused insights into three under-researched ‘at-risk’ populations: those with severe mental health illness, different racial and minority groups, and people who identify as LGBT. This symposium will address this gap by examining the experience of loneliness in these three populations and providing evidence to inform the development of future public health, policy, and service interventions.
Pomeroy provides context with an overview of issues constraining progress in the field, including measurement inconsistency and the lack of diversity in studies of loneliness and social isolation. O’Sullivan, Taylor, and Victor highlight the importance of studying loneliness and social isolation within subpopulations and at-risk groups. O’Sullivan describes qualitative interviews with mental health patients to examine their conceptualization and lived experience of loneliness. Taylor’s paper examines the issue of race, neighborhoods and their confluence on feelings of loneliness among older adults in the United States. Victor using longitudinal data reports that rates of chronic loneliness over three years are twice as high amongst LGB and minority ethnic groups compared with the general population aged 50+. Cudjoe, as discussant, highlights the implications for policy, services, and future research in this area and the need for focused public health solutions to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

Presentations:

• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  Why Measurement Matters in Understanding Social Connections: Reflections on Measuring Social Isolation
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Mary Louise Pomeroy, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Johns Hopkins University
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  The Language of Loneliness: Definitions, Experiences, and Conceptualization: The Voice of Mental Health Service Users
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Roger O'Sullivan, PhD, MFPH, FGSA, – Institute of Public Health in Ireland
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  Loneliness Transitions Among Minority Ethnic and LGB Populations in the UK
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Christina R. Victor, PhD (she/her/hers) – Brunel University London