Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of ELSA cohort at wave 3 by loneliness [W4-W8]

Sex [n = 6,510]

 Male

2044

48

437

42

423

34

79.4

 < .001

 Female

2192

52

601

58

813

66

Age group [n = 7,383]

 50–54

646

14

183

15

216

16

87.7

 < .001

 55–59

1019

21

212

17

288

21

 60–64

868

18

194

16

247

18

 65–69

704

15

150

12

202

15

 70–74

688

14

160

13

171

12

 75–79

448

9

136

11

157

11

 80–84

265

6

104

9

89

6

 85 plus

135

3

76

6

25

2

Education [n = 7,359]

 Degree

967

20

191

16

196

14

64.9

 < .001

 Intermediate

2640

56

620

51

787

57

 None

1150

24

398

33

410

29

Marital status [n = 7,383]

 Married/Civil Partnership

3519

74

732

60

713

51

372.6

 < .001

 Cohabiting

237

5

39

3

48

3

 Single, Never Married

183

4

79

7

91

7

 Widowed

505

11

225

19

301

22

 Divorced

271

6

113

9

204

15

 Separated

58

1

27

2

38

3

Occupation class [n = 7,260]

 Professional/Managerial

1767

38

344

29

386

28

71.6

 < .001

 Intermediate

1229

26

305

26

366

27

 Routine/Manual

1710

36

532

45

621

45

Tenure [n = 7,379]

 Own outright

2916

61

694

57

768

55

19.1

 < .001

 Do not own outright

1855

39

520

43

626

45

Either parent unemployed for more than 6 months when they wanted to be working when respondent < 16 [n = 5,532]

245

7

58

7

98

10

9.67

0.008

Parents drank excessively /took drugs/had mental health problems when respondent < 16 [n = 5,556]

179

5

63

7

89

9

22.7

 < .001

Experienced severe financial hardship < 16 [n = 5,406]

65

2

20

2

40

4

16.6

 < .001

Parental Bonding [Exposure]

M

[SD]

M

[SD]

M

[SD]

 Overall PBI [n = 4,612]

31

[5.61]

29.8

[5.95]

28.4

[6.34]

70.1

 < .001

 Overall care [n = 4,774]

13.8

[3.12]

13.3

[3.33]

12.5

[3.57]

59.8

 < .001

 Overall overprotection [n = 4,709]

6.85

[3.27]

7.59

[3.45]

8.18

[3.58]

59.1

 < .001

 Mother overall [n = 5,208]

15.6

[3.18]

15

[3.43]

14.3

[3.68]

63

 < .001

 Mother care [n = 5,311]

7.08

[1.76]

6.83

[1.91]

6.38

[2.15]

55.5

 < .001

 Mother overprotection [n = 5,283]

3.5

[1.89]

3.88

[2.00]

4.14

[2.06]

45.7

 < .001

 Father overall [n = 5,064]

15.3

[3.14]

14.6

[3.36]

14.1

[3.50]

63.7

 < .001

 Father care [n = 5,169]

6.7

[1.81]

6.43

[1.97]

6.07

[2.09]

41.9

 < .001

 Father overprotection [n = 5,129]

3.36

[1.81]

3.79

[1.90]

4.08

[2.00]

61.8

 < .001

Social Isolation [W4-W8] [n = 10,605] [Potential Mediator]

 Never reported High isolation

3901

57

782

44

629

33

584

 < .001

 High isolation at one wave

1432

21%

467

26

346

18

 High isolation at 2 + waves

1570

23

533

30

945

49