The effects of sleep quality on loneliness among older adults: cohort analysis from the life course perspective

Background: Using cohort analysis to examine the effects of sleep quality on loneliness among older adults from the life course perspective. Methods: The hierarchical age-period-cohort growth curve model was used to analyze the data from the 2005-2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Results: (1) Loneliness has a 'U' curve relationship with age, but with the rate of increase gradually slowing down. (2) There were significant differences in loneliness across birth cohorts, with younger cohorts having higher predicted loneliness than older cohorts at the same age. (3) The influence of different sleep quality on loneliness showed a trend of increasing with age. (4) There were no significant differences in the impact of sleep quality on loneliness in different cohorts. Conclusions: This study has identified heterogeneity in loneliness, emphasising the need for a diversified intervention approach. Sleep quality has a protective effect on loneliness and is easy to assess, making it an important intervention tool. In addition, it is imperative to account for the influences of age and cohort effects when formulating intervention strategies.