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Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities

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  • Ricardo Pagan

    (Department of Applied Economics, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain)

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between loneliness, gender, and age for people without and with disabilities (moderate versus severe) in Germany. Using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for the years 2013 and 2017 and using the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale, in general we found that males report lower loneliness scores as compared to those for females. Furthermore, we found a strong association between loneliness and the individual’s age, but with differences according to gender and disability status. For example, for males with severe disabilities levels of loneliness decrease with age, whereas for females with severe disabilities the opposite result is found. In addition, we found that participation in leisure activities and having a higher frequency of contacts with family, friends, and social online networks (measured by the relational time index) contribute to reducing loneliness for all individuals. From a public policy perspective, it is necessary to undertake the design, promotion, and implementation of instrumental, emotional, and social support measures for people with disabilities (in particular for females that are severely limited in their daily activities), which can contribute to reducing their loneliness scores and increasing their levels of life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Pagan, 2020. "Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:24:p:9176-:d:458839
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Vanessa Ibáñez-del Valle & Silvia Corchón & Georgiana Zaharia & Omar Cauli, 2022. "Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Community Dwelling-Individuals: The Role of Socio-Demographics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Cong Xia & Qi Jing & Gang Chen & Mei Sun & Jun Lu, 2022. "Association between Participation of Children with Disabilities and the Child, Family, and Environmental Factors in Shanghai, China: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Marco Antonio Cruz-Morato & Carmen Dueñas-Zambrana & Josefa García-Mestanza, 2021. "Disability, Human Resources and Behavioral Economics: The Labour Inclusion Case of Ilunion Hotels of the Costa del Sol (Spain)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-23, July.
    4. Barjaková, Martina & Garnero, Andrea & d’Hombres, Béatrice, 2023. "Risk factors for loneliness: A literature review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).

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