LIFE EVENTS AND LONELINESS TRANSITIONS AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS AROUND THE WORLD

Sep 28, 2026

Adult loneliness represents a major social challenge and increasing policy concern globally. This work examines whether predictors of loneliness onset for middle-aged and older adults differ by country, using a life course framework centered on partnership, coresidence, work, and health changes. Longitudinal analyses draw on harmonized cross-national survey data from 20 countries, estimating transition probabilities into loneliness. Results show consistent predictors across settings, with family and household transitions such as divorce, coresidence, and especially widowhood most strongly associated with entry into loneliness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

128 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.426 LIFE EVENTS AND LONELINESS TRANSITIONS AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS AROUND THE WORLD Mara Sheftel1, Rachel Margolis2, and Ashton Verdery3, 1. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 2. Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, 3. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States Objectives: Adult loneliness is a substantial social problem and a growing point of concern for policymakers around the world. We assess whether the predictors of loneliness onset among middle-aged and older adults vary from country to country in a large array of settings across world regions. Taking a life course perspective, we focus on common life events in our focal age range, including changes in partnership, coresidence, work, and health, and we test whether changes in them have comparable prospective associations with loneliness onset in different countries. Methods: We draw on respondent-level data from a diversity of world regions surveyed in 7 harmonized cross-national studies in 20 countries, representing 47% of the global population over the age of 50. Our innovative longitudinal approach estimates prospective transition probability models that examine Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 129 how each life event predicts the transition into loneliness. Results: Despite substantial variation in the prevalence of loneliness and life events across the range of countries in our sample, our results highlight consistency in the predictors of loneliness transitions. Family and household changes like divorce, coresidence, and especially widowhood are paramount predictors of loneliness transition across settings, with changes in work and health playing more minor and less universal roles. Discussion: The results demonstrate the importance that family and household connections play in determining loneliness at these ages. These findings suggest that addressing late-life loneliness may require a focus on key life events, especially those concerning changes in families and households.

FAQs

What is the main objective of the study on loneliness?

The study evaluates whether loneliness onset predictors for middle-aged and older adults vary across countries, using a life course perspective on key life events.

Which life events are examined as potential predictors?

The analysis focuses on changes in partnership, coresidence, work, and health, assessing how each event predicts transitions into loneliness.

What results highlight the strongest predictors of loneliness transitions?

Family and household changes—particularly widowhood, along with divorce and coresidence—emerge as the most important and consistent predictors across countries, while work and health play smaller and less universal roles.

Sep 28, 2026

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