A Study of Social Isolation, Multimorbidity and Multiple Role Demands Among Middle-Age Adults Based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Given the increasing complexity and fluidity of parenting, caregiving, and paid work patterns, in tandem with an increased risk of multimorbidity in mid-life, this study examines the relationship between these three concurrent roles and social isolation among middle-aged persons across multimorbidity statuses. Drawing upon life course theory, we applied linear mixed models to analyze 29,847 middle-aged participants from two waves of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Findings reveal that participants experience greater social isolation over time, albeit the difference is extremely small. Among participants without multimorbidity, holding multiple roles is associated with lower social isolation. For those with multimorbidity, being employed full-time and providing intensive care are associated with social isolation. The occurrence of multiple roles demonstrates unique associations with social isolation among those with and without multimorbidity over time. Future research should study multimorbidity as a salient contextual variable. Moreover, enhanced support is needed for multimorbid middle-aged individuals with different role demands.