Objectives: Exclusion from social relations (ESR) in older age is an unwanted situation associated with increased loneliness and depressive symptoms. Gender differences in the perception of solitude (i.e., solitude satisfaction) and the evaluation of existing networks (i.e., network satisfaction) may account for the increased susceptibility of older women, especially in the Nordic countries epitomized for the increased proportion of older persons living in single households.
Method: Secondary analyses was conducted in a sample of 60,918 participants in the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Solitude satisfaction (SoS), network satisfaction (NeS), and other ESR indicators (i.e., living alone, widowhood) were examined in gender-stratified regression models predicting loneliness and depressive symptomatology in the Nordic (i.e., Denmark and Sweden) and other European countries.
Results: Low SoS and low NeS were independently associated with more depressive symptoms and an increased probability of depression, especially among older women. These vulnerabilities could not be attributed to increased loneliness and were independent from states of solitary living and widowhood. Older women in the Nordic countries with either low SoS or low SeS had an increased probability of depression compared to their counterparts in other European regions.
Conclusions: The perception of solitude and the evaluation of social relations are associated with gendered risks of depression among older persons who are challenged by objective and subjective ESR states, especially in Nordic countries.