Gender differences in the association between social relationships and loneliness among older adults in Singapore

This study investigated gender differences in the association between older adults’ social relationships and their self-reported feelings of loneliness in Singapore. Using the 2009 Social Isolation, Health, and Lifestyles Survey, we analysed the data of a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in Singapore aged 60 years and older (n = 4316). Older men and women who either lived alone or lived with only a child were more likely to report higher levels of loneliness compared to those who lived with only a spouse. Older men who lived with someone other than a spouse or a child tended to report higher levels of loneliness. Older women who had relatively strong social networks with relatives and friends outside the household generally reported higher levels of loneliness. The gender difference found in this study suggests that interventions to mitigate older adults’ loneliness need to address the sociocultural and demographic conditions that are unique to older men and women in Singapore.