{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T07:03:10Z","timestamp":1789455790600,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,14]],"date-time":"2020-09-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1600041600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,26]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Loneliness is common in older adults, and it is associated with unhealthy behaviours, including substance use. We evaluated the association between loneliness and self-reported use of opioids and benzodiazepines in older adults.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey\u2019s \u2018Healthy Aging\u2019 sub-survey and included adults 65\u00a0years or older who administered their own medications. We classified individuals as lonely if they scored 6 or more on the three -item University of California, Los Angeles\u2019s Loneliness Scale. We used multinomial logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics and self-reported comorbidities, to describe the association between loneliness and daily or occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines and non-opioid analgesics. We also explored the association between loneliness and polypharmacy.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Our cohort included 15,302 older adults, of whom 2,096 (13.7%) were classified as lonely. Daily use of opioids (4.1%) and benzodiazepines (1.7%) were less common than daily use of non-opioid analgesics (33.9%). Lonely older adults had higher daily use of opioids (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 1.31-1.98) and benzodiazepines (OR 1.66, 1.21-2.28), but not non-opioid analgesics (OR 1.05, 0.92-1.19). Loneliness was not associated with occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines or non-opioid analgesics in older adults, but was associated with polypharmacy (OR 1.27, 1.06-1.52).<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Loneliness in older adults is associated with increased daily use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Further research should evaluate patient- and physician-level factors that mediate this association, and develop strategies to mitigate loneliness and its attendant adverse outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afaa177","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,22]],"date-time":"2020-07-22T19:17:09Z","timestamp":1595445429000},"page":"587-591","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":35,"title":["The association between loneliness and medication use in older adults"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"50","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2953-2540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manav V","family":"Vyas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennifer A","family":"Watt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amy Y X","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sharon E","family":"Straus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Moira K","family":"Kapral","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1007\/s10433-009-0134-8","article-title":"Loneliness among older Europeans","volume":"6","author":"Sundstr\u00f6m","year":"2009","journal-title":"Eur J Ageing"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref2","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy","author":"Peplau"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1078","DOI":"10.1001\/archinternmed.2012.1993","article-title":"Loneliness in older persons: a predictor of functional decline and death","volume":"172","author":"Perissinotto","year":"2012","journal-title":"Arch Intern Med"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.12148","article-title":"Greater number of narcotic analgesic prescriptions for osteoarthritis is associated with falls and fractures in elderly adults","volume":"61","author":"Rolita","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Am Geriatr Soc"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1080\/16066359.2018.1515351","article-title":"Beyond medication: life situation of older patients in opioid maintenance treatment","volume":"27","author":"Carlsen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Addict Res Theory"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"949","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jagp.2016.06.003","article-title":"A systematic review of opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in older adults","volume":"24","author":"Maree","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am J Geriatr Psychiatry"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"957","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.4246","article-title":"Loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs","volume":"30","author":"Boehlen","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Geriatr Psychiatry"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"582","DOI":"10.1093\/abm\/kax033","article-title":"Social isolation, loneliness, and health Behaviors at older ages: longitudinal cohort study","volume":"52","author":"Kobayashi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann Behav Med"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.1016\/S0889-1591(02)00073-9","article-title":"Loneliness and pathways to disease","volume":"17","author":"Hawkley","year":"2003","journal-title":"Brain Behav Immun"},{"key":"2021030604543560200_ref10","volume-title":"Canadian Community Health Survey - 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