The overlooked role of place attachment in loneliness: An investigation among old people

Abstract

The relationship people have with the place they live has an impact on loneliness. Feelings of connection, rootedness and meaning are seen as fundamental to the association between place attachment and loneliness. This article investigates whether a stronger attachment to place is associated with less loneliness, in addition to known predictors in the field of social integration and health. Place attachment has two dimensions, namely the personal identity of the individual in relation to the physical environment, and dependence, i.e. the functional or purposeful connections with an environment. Data were obtained from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, with observations of 424 community-dwelling Dutch adults aged 74–96 years from 2018 to 2020. The measurement model of place attachment showed a high correlation between the two dimensions. The structural model showed that place attachment depended on neighborhood and residential characteristics, together with the number of neighborhood contacts. Place attachment did indeed coincide with less loneliness, with an effect size that was approximately equal to the difference between old people with and without a partner. In addition, loneliness was associated with a small number of neighborhood contacts, poor physical capacities and low mastery. We suggest that a broader conception of loneliness should be considered. For the prevention and alleviation of loneliness, frequent contact within close relationships is important. Attachment to place can, additionally, facilitate superficial social interactions within one's place. Moreover, it is important to feel connected to one's place.