LONELINESS, ISOLATION, COGNITION, AND MORTALITY RISK: HARMONIZATION WITHIN A COORDINATED ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK - Abstract citation ID igaf122.1683

Q: What key challenge motivated this registered report?

How loneliness and social isolation are defined and modeled varies between studies, which can drive inconsistencies in earlier findings.

Q: What relationship did loneliness and isolation show for dementia risk and death?

Meta-analytic results indicated that both loneliness and isolation predicted increased risk of dementia and death in Cox and logistic models, with isolation showing a particularly strong mortality link.

Q: How did loneliness and isolation differ across transitions between cognitive states?

Loneliness (not isolation) was linked to transitioning from no impairment to mild cognitive impairment, while transition from mild to death depended on isolation when loneliness was included; isolation also appeared most important for mild-to-severe cognitive impairment transitions.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Chumphorn

Loneliness and social isolation relate to adverse health outcomes in older adulthood, including worse cognitive results and higher mortality risk. Differences across studies in how these constructs are defined and modeled create a major barrier and may explain inconsistencies in prior findings. This registered report applies a coordinated, harmonized analysis framework across 11 aging longitudinal cohorts (N>110,000) in 20 countries. Cox, logistic, and multistate survival models assess loneliness and isolation alone and jointly for cognitive transitions and death.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and challenge

Coordinated harmonized framework

Methods and models

Key findings

Transitions and subgroup results

Discussion focus

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 491 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1683 LONELINESS, ISOLATION, COGNITION, AND MORTALITY RISK: HARMONIZATION WITHIN A COORDINATED ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK Tomiko Yoneda1, Kathryn Jackson2, Katy Bedjeti2, Graciela Muniz-Terrera3, Daniel Mroczek2, Andrew Steptoe4, Anthony Ong5, and Eileen Graham2, 1. University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States, 2. Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States, 3. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States, 4. University College London, London, England, United Kingdom, 5. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States Loneliness and social isolation are associated with several negative health outcomes in older adulthood, including adverse 492 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 cognitive outcomes and increased mortality risk. Between-study variability in how these constructs are defined and modeled poses a major challenge, potentially contributing to inconsistencies in previous findings. In response, this registered report leveraged a coordinated data analysis framework, applying independent but harmonized operational definitions and statistical models across 11 longitudinal studies of aging (N > 110,000) representing 20 countries. Using Cox regression, logistic regression, and multistate survival models (MSMs), we systematically examined how loneliness and social isolation—both separately and in combination—are associated with cognitive aging outcomes (no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, severe cognitive impairment) and mortality risk. Preliminary synthesized results based on random-effects meta-analysis show that loneliness and isolation both predict increased risk of dementia and death in Cox and logistic models (all ps < 0.001), with isolation showing a particularly strong link to mortality. In MSMs, however, loneliness (but not isolation) was associated with an increased risk of transitioning from no impairment to mild cognitive impairment. Loneliness and isolation were also associated with an increased risk of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment to death, but this was only true for isolation when loneliness was included in the model. Conversely, isolation appears to be most important for the transition from mild to severe cognitive impairment. Discussion will focus on the evidence for and against the generalizability and variability in associations among social disparities, cognitive outcomes, and mortality risk across individuals, time, and countries.

FAQs

What key challenge motivated this registered report?

How loneliness and social isolation are defined and modeled varies between studies, which can drive inconsistencies in earlier findings.

Which analytical models were used to study cognitive aging and mortality risk?

Cox regression, logistic regression, and multistate survival models were used to examine cognitive transitions and death.

What relationship did loneliness and isolation show for dementia risk and death?

Meta-analytic results indicated that both loneliness and isolation predicted increased risk of dementia and death in Cox and logistic models, with isolation showing a particularly strong mortality link.

How did loneliness and isolation differ across transitions between cognitive states?

Loneliness (not isolation) was linked to transitioning from no impairment to mild cognitive impairment, while transition from mild to death depended on isolation when loneliness was included; isolation also appeared most important for mild-to-severe cognitive impairment transitions.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Chumphorn