Mapping the Language of Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Racialized Older Adults in Canada: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Qualitative Studies.

Abstract

Social isolation and Loneliness (SIL) are devastating experiences in later life. However, the wide disparity in the experiences of SIL among racialized older adults (ROAs) is underreported, with little attention given to the language that ROAs use when narrating their experience of SIL. With its unique focus on the language used within existing qualitative research in describing SIL among ROAs in Canada, this paper aims to shed light on how the discourse informs ideas about ROAs' lives. Using a critical discourse analysis guided by critical race theory, data was generated from 10 purposively selected qualitative articles conducted with ROAs across four provinces in Canada: Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Participants identified as Chinese, Black Africans and Caribbeans, Koreans, Spanish, Filipinos, former Yugoslavians, Iranians and Indians. Discourses of barriers, loss and vulnerability, struggles and resistance, (dis)connection, and settlement experience were dominant themes. The findings highlight the interrelated and linked aging experiences among diverse ROAs regardless of ethnicity, race, culture, province of residence, and country of birth. Therefore, to mitigate their overall experience of SIL, a conducive and enabling environment encompassing research, policy, and practice that promotes the thriving of ROAs in Canada is warranted.