LATEBREAKER
Aging
Loneliness and Social Isolation among Older Asian Indian Immigrants in the United States RoiSan Nhpang* RoiSan Nhpang Malinee Neelamegam
Background: Loneliness and social isolation (SI) are common issues among older adults in the United States, particularly among immigrants, with these conditions being associated with significant health and mental health issues. This mixed method explorative study aims to describe loneliness and SI among older Asian Indian immigrants in the United States.
Method: Survey and semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted among 31 older Asian Indian immigrants aged 55 years or older in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area. Loneliness was determined based on the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and SI was determined based on the Revised Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-R). T-tests were conducted to explore the association between the duration of immigration, loneliness and social isolation. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically with a priori and emergent codes.
Result: Majority of the participants (74%) were women, and 55% of the participants were aged 65 years or older. Among them, 26% reported feeling moderately lonely or more with 3% reported feeling severely lonely, while 23% reported experiencing SI. On average, participants have been living in the US for 34.6 years. T-test results indicate that, although not statistically significant, participants expressing loneliness had, lived in the US for an average of 30.6 years, compared to 36.0 years for those without loneliness. In contrast, significant differences (p-value <0.05) were found in the mean years living in the US between participants reporting SI (21.0 years) and those who did not (37.4 years). Emerging themes included concern about support in caregiving, and navigating illnesses alone.
Discussion: As loneliness and social isolation pose serious health conditions among older adults, the findings underscore the importance of understanding and examining factors contributing to these feelings among older Asian Indian immigrants in the US.