Loneliness And Chronic Pain among US Community-Dwelling US Older Adults

Loneliness and Chronic pain are associated with multiple negative health outcomes. Yet, limited research has examined the relationship between these experiences. The older adult population in the US is growing and becoming more diverse, yet limited examination of loneliness or chronic pain exists among racial/ethnic minority older adults. In this dissertation I explore if there is a relationship between loneliness and chronic pain. I examine if loneliness precedes the development of pain and/or if it enhances the likelihood of developing chronic pain. Finally, I explore if these relationships vary by race/ethnicity. For this dissertation, I examine community dwelling US older adults from waves 2 and 3 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. This study was guided by an overarching lens of “suffering” and the Diathesis Stress Model of Chronic Pain. I use multiple imputation to treat missing data. I use logistic regression analyses with covariates including important sociodemographic as well as physical and mental health variables. The prevalence of CSCP in this sample is 17%. I identify no statistically significant differences between US Born Latinos, Foreign Born Lat