Page 32 - IJPS-11-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Living alone and loneliness in older adults

did not examine the role of more sophisticated family-level (ECSHU: 2022-147). The data used in the current study
factors in the typology profiles, such as relationship quality is sourced from a publicly available database (Chinese
and family interactions. Third, this study did not examine Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey). This data was
whether and how the four subgroups will change with time collected with the informed consent of the respondents.
and the reasons for transitions into and out of different
groups. It would be beneficial if future research touches on Consent for publication
this topic using more data. The respondents gave consent to use their data in scientific

5. Conclusion publications.
Given the large sample size of the dataset and the analytical Availability of data
strategies employed, this study contributes to the literature The datasets used in this study are openly available from
by facilitating the understanding of the typology of the Open Research Data of Peking University at https://
living alone and loneliness as well as its relationship with opendata.pku.edu.cn/dataverse/CHADS
correlates according to the Andersen behavioral model.
We hope that this study catalyzes more novel analyses to References
disentangle the dynamics and correlates of the typology
of living alone and loneliness with time. In addition, the Andersen, R.M. (1995). Revisiting the behavioral model and
access to medical care: does it matter? Journal of Health and
differences between older adults living in urban and rural Social Behavior, 36:1-10.
areas highlight the importance of recognizing the urban–
rural divide in China; in particular, the differences in the https://doi.org/10.2307/2137284
correlates of the typology. These differences need to be Ausubel, J. (2020). Older People are More Likely to Live Alone
considered to provide efficient and tailored policies and in the U.S. than Elsewhere in the World. United States of
services and remain to be addressed in future research. America. Available from: https://policycommons.net/
artifacts/616412/older-people-are-more-likely-to-live-
Acknowledgments alone-in-the-us/1597053 [Last accessed on 2023 Apr 13].
None. Bedard-Thomas, J., Gausvik, C., Wessels, J., Regan, S.,
Goodnow, K., & Goroncy, A. (2019). I live alone but don’t
Funding feel alone: Social isolation and loneliness from the patient
perspective. Journal of Patient-Centered Research and
This work is funded by the National Social Science Fund of Reviews, 6(4):262.
China under Grant/Award Number: 23BRK026, awarded
to Dr. Fang Yang. https://doi.org/10.17294/2330-0698.1715
Birditt, K.S., Manalel, J.A., Sommers, H., Luong, G., &
Conflict of interest Fingerman, K.L. (2019). Better off alone: Daily solitude is
Fang Yang is an Editorial Board Member of this journal associated with lower negative affect in more conflictual
but was not in any way involved in the editorial and social networks. The Gerontologist, 59(6):1152-1161.
peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny060
indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they Carstensen, L.L. (1992). Social and emotional patterns in
have no known competing financial interests or personal adulthood: Support for socioemotional selectivity theory.
relationships that could have influenced the work reported Psychology and Aging, 7(3):331.
in this paper.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.7.3.331
Author contributions Cloutier-Fisher, D., Kobayashi, K., & Smith, A. (2011). The

Conceptualization: Fang Yang subjective dimension of social isolation: A qualitative
investigation of older adults’ experiences in small social
Formal analysis: Xiang Zhou, Huiguang Wang support networks. Journal of Aging Studies, 25(4):407-414.
Methodology: Fang Yang, Xiang Zhou
Writing – original draft: Fang Yang, Xiang Zhou https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.03.012
Writing – review & editing: Fang Yang Cohen-Mansfield, J., Hazan, H., Lerman, Y., & Shalom, V. (2016).
Correlates and predictors of loneliness in older-adults:
Ethics approval and consent to participate A review of quantitative results informed by qualitative

Ethical approval of this study was obtained from the insights. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(4):557-576.
Institutional Review Board of Shanghai University https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610215001532

Volume 11 Issue 2 (2025) 26 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4184