The association between loneliness and sleep quality among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To systematically review studies and explore the association between loneliness and sleep quality among older adults. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in 8 databases from their inception to February 28, 2022. Studies that investigated the association between loneliness and sleep quality among older people were obtained. Comprehensive Meta-analysis was used to meta-analyze data in the included studies. Results: In total, 16 studies with 23,485 participants were included in this review, and 6 of these studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that older adults who were lonely were signifi-cantly more likely to suffer from low sleep quality than their counterparts without loneliness (pooled OR =1.750, 95% CI: 1.511-2.026, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Loneliness is associated with poor sleep quality among older adults. Loneliness reduction meas-ures should be considered as one of the essential elements in sleep management programs for older people with low sleep quality.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.