Social Asymmetry and Risk of Morbidity and Mortality

Is social asymmetry, referring to the discrepancy between subjective loneliness and objective social connections, associated with incident morbidity and mortality?In this cohort study of 7845 participants with 13.6 years of follow up, higher social asymmetry was associated with increased risk of incident morbidity and mortality. Social vulnerability was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when compared with social resilience.These findings suggest the importance of evaluating the discrepancy between loneliness and social isolation in studies of health outcomes and leveraging this novel measurement in future interventions.

Corresponding Author: Pei Qin, PhD, Department of Behavioral Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom (p.qin@ucl.ac.uk).

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