The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey

ABSTRACT Background Existing literature explores the relationship between voluntary work, loneliness, and social isolation, but there is a lack of research on how the onset and cessation of voluntary work relate to loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Many in this population may disco...

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Main Authors: Avery Richardson, Hans‐Helmut König, André Hajek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:Brain and Behavior
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70244
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author Avery Richardson
Hans‐Helmut König
André Hajek
author_facet Avery Richardson
Hans‐Helmut König
André Hajek
author_sort Avery Richardson
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background Existing literature explores the relationship between voluntary work, loneliness, and social isolation, but there is a lack of research on how the onset and cessation of voluntary work relate to loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Many in this population may discontinue volunteering due to various life circumstances, making it important to investigate the longitudinal significance of these transitions. This study aims to assess whether engaging in volunteer work during retirement age is associated with changes in loneliness and social isolation. Methods Longitudinal data were obtained from Waves 5 (Year 2014) and 6 (Year 2017) of the German Ageing Survey, focusing on middle‐aged and older adults. The sample size (n = 6628) was limited to those aged 65 and above. Two groups were analyzed: the onset group, individuals who did not volunteer in 2014 but did by 2017 (188 individuals), and the cessation group, those who volunteered in 2014 but not by 2017 (307 individuals). Loneliness was assessed using the De Jong Gierveld tool, and perceived social isolation was measured using the Bude and Lantermann instrument. Asymmetric linear fixed effects (FE) regression analysis examined the associations. Results In an asymmetric FE regression analysis that adjusted for a multitude of time‐varying covariates, an association was shown between the onset of volunteer work and decreases in loneliness (β = −0.07; p = 0.04) in older adults. In contrast, there was no significant association between the onset of voluntary work and changes in perceived social isolation. Also, there was no significant association between the cessation of volunteer work and changes in perceived social isolation or loneliness. Conclusion Our findings suggest that older adults who choose to volunteer may experience a decrease in self‐reported loneliness. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our present findings.
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spelling doaj-art-8a11c85994b64f70803f288fb8b4bedd2025-01-29T13:36:39ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/brb3.70244The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing SurveyAvery Richardson0Hans‐Helmut König1André Hajek2Department of Health Economics and Health Services ResearchUniversity Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health EconomicsHamburgGermanyDepartment of Health Economics and Health Services ResearchUniversity Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health EconomicsHamburgGermanyDepartment of Health Economics and Health Services ResearchUniversity Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health EconomicsHamburgGermanyABSTRACT Background Existing literature explores the relationship between voluntary work, loneliness, and social isolation, but there is a lack of research on how the onset and cessation of voluntary work relate to loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Many in this population may discontinue volunteering due to various life circumstances, making it important to investigate the longitudinal significance of these transitions. This study aims to assess whether engaging in volunteer work during retirement age is associated with changes in loneliness and social isolation. Methods Longitudinal data were obtained from Waves 5 (Year 2014) and 6 (Year 2017) of the German Ageing Survey, focusing on middle‐aged and older adults. The sample size (n = 6628) was limited to those aged 65 and above. Two groups were analyzed: the onset group, individuals who did not volunteer in 2014 but did by 2017 (188 individuals), and the cessation group, those who volunteered in 2014 but not by 2017 (307 individuals). Loneliness was assessed using the De Jong Gierveld tool, and perceived social isolation was measured using the Bude and Lantermann instrument. Asymmetric linear fixed effects (FE) regression analysis examined the associations. Results In an asymmetric FE regression analysis that adjusted for a multitude of time‐varying covariates, an association was shown between the onset of volunteer work and decreases in loneliness (β = −0.07; p = 0.04) in older adults. In contrast, there was no significant association between the onset of voluntary work and changes in perceived social isolation. Also, there was no significant association between the cessation of volunteer work and changes in perceived social isolation or loneliness. Conclusion Our findings suggest that older adults who choose to volunteer may experience a decrease in self‐reported loneliness. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our present findings.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70244lonelinessolder adultssocial isolationvoluntary workvolunteering
spellingShingle Avery Richardson
Hans‐Helmut König
André Hajek
The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
Brain and Behavior
loneliness
older adults
social isolation
voluntary work
volunteering
title The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
title_full The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
title_fullStr The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
title_full_unstemmed The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
title_short The Association Between the Onset and Ending of Volunteering on Loneliness and Perceived Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence From the German Ageing Survey
title_sort association between the onset and ending of volunteering on loneliness and perceived social isolation among older adults longitudinal evidence from the german ageing survey
topic loneliness
older adults
social isolation
voluntary work
volunteering
url https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70244
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