Racial and Ethnic Differences in Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Older Adults With Hearing Loss: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study.

ObjectiveOur study examines racial/ethnic differences in loneliness and social isolation among older adults with hearing loss.MethodsData were drawn from the 2022 Health and Retirement Study, including participants ages ≥50 with objectively determined hearing loss (N = 1817). Linear models were employed to analyze the association between race/ethnicity and both loneliness and social isolation.ResultsInitially, Black adults reported higher loneliness scores than White adults, but this trend reversed after controlling for contextual factors. Hispanic adults consistently showed lower loneliness scores across all models compared to both Black and White adults. Black adults reported significantly lower levels of social isolation compared to White adults, whereas Hispanic adults consistently exhibited higher levels than Black adults throughout the analysis.ConclusionThese findings reveal distinct patterns of loneliness and social isolation across racial/ethnic groups among adults with hearing loss, highlighting the interplay between these outcomes and social, cultural, and societal factors.