Substance use, a significant public health concern, may be associated with worsening social connections and feelings of loneliness among adult populations. This study examined the associations between substance use (i.e., binge alcohol, e-cigarette, and traditional cigarette use) and loneliness among adults aged >/=50 years residing in the US. We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Social Determinant of Health Equity module. The sample included 138,614 adults aged >/=50 years, representing approximately 55.4 million individuals in this age group. Substance use was the key independent variable and categorized into two groups: no substance use and substance use—participants who reported current use of >/=1 of three substances (i.e., binge alcohol, e-cigarette, and traditional cigarette use). Overall, 19.0% of participants reported using =1 substance use, 21.0% reported feeling lonely sometimes, and 5.1% feeling lonely always/usually. Participants who reported using >/=1 substance had a 17.0% higher relative risk of feeling lonely always/usually (compared to feeling never/rarely lonely) than adults who did not report substance use, after adjusting for all covariates (RRR 1.17; 95% CI 1.10–1.35; p = 0.029). These findings underscore the strong link between substance use and loneliness among midlife and older adults.
Understanding the association between substance use and loneliness in midlife and older adults
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23 (2), 151. doi: 10.3390/ijerph23020151. PMCID: PMC12941116.