Loneliness among the elderly in Baltic nations during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The population in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is ageing rapidly. Loneliness is one of the most disruptive transformations facing older adults. Loneliness implies a lack of meaningful social relations or absence of human contact, and adversely impacts the health and quality of life of older adults. Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of premature death, dementia, heart disease, depression anxiety and suicide. This study is based on the Cacioppo Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL), that posits, that an individual's perception of loneliness triggers nonconscious evolutionary behavior that may have long term deleterious consequences. There is evidence of the heritability of loneliness as a population parameter. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature of loneliness experienced by older adults in Baltic states, specifically is loneliness among older adults the same across countries, genders, age and employment status. STUDY DESIGN: Data from Wave 9, COVID-19 Survey 2 (Summer 2021) of the of the cross-national panel dataset of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were examined using a sample of 6303 adults over 50 years old from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Analysis: Nonparametric one-way ANOVA (Kruskal-Wallis test) was performed to test the null hypothesis that the rate of loneliness is equal across gender, age, and country in Baltic states. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There was a statistically significant difference in the loneliness reported by country. The indicate that country is a significant factor [χ(2)= 77.14, df = 2; p< .001], and the rate of loneliness varies significantly by gender [χ(2)= 93.94, df = 1; p< .001, and age [χ(2)= 187.80, df = 6; p< .001]. CONCLUSIONS: These finding suggest that age and gender are significant predictors of loneliness. Implications for Policy and Practice: Care of older adults should aim at alleviating loneliness difficulties faced by this population. KEY MESSAGES: • Age and gender was a significant predictor of loneliness among the elderly in Baltic states at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. • Policy initiatives that aim to alleviate loneliness among older adults should address age and gender factors.