Social Isolation Changes and Long-Term Outcomes Among Older Adults

Importance While the association between cross-sectional measures of social isolation and adverse health outcomes is well established, less is known about the association between changes in social isolation and health outcomes. Objective To assess changes of social isolation and mortality, physical function, cognitive function, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants In a cohort design, social isolation changes in 4 years and subsequent risk of mortality and other outcomes were assessed using the 13 649 eligible Health and Retirement Study (HRS) respondents from the 2006 to 2020 waves. Data were analyzed from October 11, 2023, to April 26, 2024. Exposure The main exposure was the change in social isolation measured by the Steptoe 5-item Social Isolation Index from the initial assessment to a second assessment conducted 4 years later. Participants were classified into decreased isolation, stable, or increased isolation groups, stratified by their baseline isolation status. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were mortality, self-reported dependencies in activities of daily living, Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease–related dementia, CVD, and stroke. Dementia, CVD, and stroke were assessed using HRS-linked Medicare records. Incidence rates (IRs) of each group were estimated and a Cox proportional hazards regression model was used, with inverse-probability treatment weighting to adjust for confounders. Results Among 13 649 participants (mean [SD] age at baseline, 65.3 [9.5] years; 8011 [58.7%] women) isolated at baseline, those with increased isolation had higher mortality (n = 693; IR = 68.19; 95% CI, 60.89-76.36 per 1000 person-years) than those who were stable (n = 1796; IR = 44.02; 95% CI, 40.47-47.88 person-years) or had decreased isolation (n = 2067; IR = 37.77; 95% CI, 34.73-41.09 person-years) isolation. Increased isolation was associated with higher risks of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.09-1.51), disability (AHR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.09-1.67), and dementia (AHR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.02-1.93) compared with stable isolation. Similar findings were observed among socially nonisolated participants at baseline. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, increased isolation was associated with elevated risks of mortality, disability, and dementia, irrespective of baseline isolation status. These results underscore the importance of interventions targeting the prevention of increased isolation among older adults to mitigate its adverse effects on mortality, as well as physical and cognitive function decline.