Social Isolation, Loneliness, And Violence Exposure In Urban Adults

Abstract

Social isolation is a key predictor of mortality in the US and may be heightened in communities affected by violence. Qualitative studies have documented that people living in high-crime neighborhoods often report being confined to their homes because of safety concerns. However, few quantitative studies have empirically assessed relationships between violence exposure and social isolation. In 2018 we conducted hour-long, in-person surveys with 504 adults in Chicago, Illinois. Prior exposure to community violence was associated with a 3.3-point reduction (on a 100-point scale) in the frequency of interaction with network confidantes, a 7.3-point reduction in perceived social support from friends, and a 7.8-point increase in loneliness. At a time when public health and policy leaders are calling for solutions to the "epidemic of loneliness," identifying populations at higher risk because of violence could help target interventions and ensure equitable access to social and medical support.

Keywords: Community health centers; Health policy; Loneliness; Older adults; PTSD; Post traumatic stress disorder; Public health; Social isolation; Violence.

EXHIBIT 3. Adjusted odds of being lonely among study participants in Chicago, Illinois, by type of exposure to community violence and presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 2018

SOURCE Authors’ analysis of data for 2018 from the Chicago Violence, Neighborhoods, and Health Study. NOTES Generalized linear models were used to estimate differences between groups that were or were not exposed to community violence, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, spousal relationship status, insurance type, and clinical location (academic medical center or federally qualified health center). “Indirect exposure” refers to being a witness of a violent death or the close friend or family member of someone who died violently. “Direct exposure” refers to having been the victim of a robbery or assault. “PTSD screen” refers to having had a positive screen for PTSD using the Primary Care PTSD Screen (see note in text). The error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.