Einsame Kinder haben im Erwachsenenalter ein erhöhtes Risiko für Demenz und kognitiven Verfall. Untersuchungen ergaben, dass Personen, die angaben, als Kinder Einsamkeit erlebt zu haben, im Erwachsenenalter ein um 41 % höheres Risiko für Demenz hatten. Sie neigten auch dazu, einen schnelleren altersbedingten kognitiven Rückgang zu erleben
Lonely children have an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in adulthood, study finds
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An analysis of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data found that individuals who reported experiencing loneliness as children had a 41% higher risk of dementia in adulthood. They also tended to experience faster age-related cognitive decline. The paper was published in JAMA Network Open.
As people reach advanced age, their cognitive abilities start to decline. This is very subtle at first, but may become faster as a person ages. Processing speed and working memory are usually the most affected, while cognitive capacities based on experience and attained knowledge tend to be the least affected. This is called age-related cognitive decline. It is a normal part of aging and is not, by itself, indicative of any pathology.
In contrast, dementia is a pathological condition in which cognitive decline becomes fast and very severe. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which involves progressive brain cell loss and disruptions in key neural networks. Unlike normal age-related cognitive decline, dementia affects core functions like language, reasoning, and memory stability. It results in extensive structural changes to the brain, including shrinkage of the hippocampus.
While there is no cure for dementia, research suggests that physical activity, cognitive engagement, and social interaction can help slow age-related decline and reduce dementia risk. As human lifespans increase, more and more people reach an age in which they experience cognitive decline and dementia. This has made research into factors that affect the risk of dementia and the pace of age-related cognitive decline a priority for many.
Study author Jinqi Wang and colleagues wanted to investigate whether childhood loneliness is associated with cognitive decline and dementia risk in adulthood and whether adult loneliness mediates or modifies these associations. They defined childhood loneliness as self-reported frequent feelings of loneliness and the absence of close friendships before the age of 17.
These researchers analyzed data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
The CHARLS is a nationwide study of Chinese adults aged 45 years and older. The study recruited a total of 17,707 participants from 28 provinces in China back in 2011 and collected follow-up data periodically. While data was collected through 2020, the researchers restricted their analysis to follow-ups through 2018 to avoid bias related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about childhood loneliness was collected through face-to-face interviews during the 2014 data collection.
As some participants dropped out of the study and some did not participate in all surveys and interviews, the authors of this study used data from 13,592 participants who had all the needed results. Their average age at the start of the study was 58 years. Approximately 53% of them were women.
Results showed that, compared to participants who did not report being lonely in childhood, participants who reported being lonely as children tended to experience faster cognitive decline. They also had a 41% higher risk of dementia compared to their peers who were not lonely as children.
These associations remained even after study authors controlled for loneliness in adulthood. However, adult loneliness was a possible mediator of a small part (8.5%) of the association between childhood loneliness and cognitive decline. It was also a possible mediator of 17.2% of the association between childhood loneliness and dementia.
“These findings suggest that childhood loneliness may serve as an independent risk factor for later-life cognitive decline and dementia, highlighting the need for early interventions to mitigate its long-term implications for cognitive health throughout the life course,” study authors concluded.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2838789
I couldn’t do much to break the loneliness when i was a child, since my bullies decided to exclude me from everything, even trying really hard to get along with them. Kids can be such assholes.
The reddit app glitched and showed me only this one article as my entire home page. Feels like the algorithm is trying to scare me.
Man every new thing the say could lead to dementia that comes out applies to me. I’m so beyond f***ed.
imma be real witchu, this sounds completely arbitrary.
All this constant „loneliness does this loneliness does that“ is unhelpful for already lonely people. I think we should be studying it less and *doing* more to help people.
I also think a lot of these studies don’t do a good job of seeing how people can reverse the effects of loneliness and see gains that can wipe out its past effects or difficulties, they also sometimes mislabel being alone as loneliness.
How does this correlate with single child vs with siblings?
My mum has dementia and my grandmother (dad’s side) did. My brother has an amazing memory and mine is awful, so I already know I’m fucked. But it’s nice to know my introversion is contributing to my eventual cognitive decline. I just hope for my fiancé’s sake I don’t turn into a twat
It’s just as easy to say dementia prone adults exhibited symptoms as children, which create situations leading to loneliness.
Luckily I had 4 brothers and sisters. Loneliness wasn’t an option. Privacy was unheard of.
Chronic loneliness is more detrimental to your health than smoking. It’s crazy to me what stress and mental health can do to your physical health.
As for if referencing loneliness in childhood, it makes sense because the brain is still developing so rapidly. The brain isn’t even fully developed until 25.
I’m 29, I’m feeling this already