virtual: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7905645674

Codi: 1984

Abstract

Loneliness is a public health concern. While research has focused mainly on individual-level determinants and older adults, less is known about how neighbourhoods influence loneliness and how this effect varies across adulthood and sex. Using data from the Lifelines Cohort Study, I examine the influence of neighbourhood and social interaction effects on emotional and social loneliness, measured with the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. I particularly focus on two types of social interaction effects: peer and contextual effects. The former refers to the mutual influence of behaviours among individuals from the same group, whereas the latter refers to the influence of characteristics of nearby individuals on one’s behaviour. To investigate the role of peer and contextual effects, I apply a Spatial Durbin Model stratified by sex and age group, and test for significant differences across models using a Wald test. Results show that at the neighbourhood level, the average house value is a key contributor to both emotional and social loneliness, alongside the distance to restaurants or cafés. Urbanity is relevant only for emotional loneliness. Peer effects are detected only among women, with mixed patterns: for emotional loneliness, greater loneliness among nearby residents increases one’s own loneliness, whereas for social loneliness, the effect is negative and only significant for older adults. Contextual effects are limited for both sexes. Among women, the educational level of nearby residents is the main contributor to emotional loneliness. Among men, living arrangements, migration background, and social participation of nearby residents play the largest roles in both loneliness expressions. These findings provide new insights into the socio-spatial dynamics of loneliness across adulthood, sex, and can help create equitable policies.

Key words: loneliness – social interaction – neighbourhood effects – adulthood – spatial econometrics