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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.

Sec. Psychology of Aging

The impact of Social Isolation and perceived Loneliness in older adults: A cross-sectional descriptive Chilean Study

Provisionally accepted
Christine GierkeChristine Gierke1,2,3*Carlos F NavarroCarlos F Navarro1Melissa Gisela MartinezMelissa Gisela Martinez2Carolina Andrea DelgadoCarolina Andrea Delgado2Walthers Díaz-GierkeWalthers Díaz-Gierke4Rocio DiazRocio Diaz5Gonzalo FariasGonzalo Farias1,2
  • 1University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • 2Hospital Clinico de la Universidad de Chile Jose Joaquin Aguirre, Santiago, Chile
  • 3Universidad de los Andes Escuela de Psicologia, Las Condes, Chile
  • 4Universidad Adolfo Ibanez Escuela de Psicologia, Peñalolén, Chile
  • 5Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

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Social Isolation is defined as having minimal contact with other people, whether they are family or friends. At the same time, Loneliness is the subjective feeling of having less affection and closeness than desired in the intimate or relational sphere and of experiencing little proximity to family or friends. This study explores the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on elderly Chileans, focusing on the role of Social Isolation, Loneliness, and pandemic-related concerns and their impact on depressive symptoms. With 150 participants, this cross-sectional descriptive study revealed significant relationships between SI, L, depressive symptoms, and sex differences in their experiences. Despite no longer being in a restrictive phase of the pandemic, the findings highlight the interconnectedness of these factors and their ongoing impact on the mental health of the elderly population.

Keywords: social isolation1, loneliness2, Older Adults3, depression4, Pandemic-RelatedConcerns5

Received: 11 Aug 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Gierke, Navarro, Martinez, Delgado, Díaz-Gierke, Diaz and Farias. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Christine Gierke

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material