Social Isolation and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life
Loading...
Date
2022-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University hisar
Abstract
Social isolation is a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between an individual and society. It differs from loneliness, which reflects temporary and involuntary lack of contact with other humans in the world. Social isolation can be an issue for individuals of any age, though symptoms may differ by age group. Cognitive functioning refers to a person's ability to process thoughts. It is defined as "the ability of an individual to perform the various mental activities most closely associated with learning and problem-solving. Researchers like Cacioppo and Hawkley (2009) have highlighted the strong association between social isolation and cognitive functioning. This paper investigates the social isolation and cognitive functioning in later life. The effects of depression, anxiety and stress were explored. An intervention programme to improve the cognitive functioning of low performing elderly was imparted. The study was conducted in the rural and urban areas of Hisar, Rohtak and Karnal district of Haryana state. The results revealed that age, education and occupation, marital status and family type significantly influences the respondent’s performance. The socio-personal variables and supporting variables are the strong predictors which influence the social isolation and cognitive functioning of elderly. Depression was found to be significantly correlated with both social isolation and cognitive functioning of elderly. The findings suggest that the imparting the intervention programme may enhance the cognitive functioning in elderly.