As Australia's population ages and loneliness becomes a growing public health concern, new research from Monash University has found that older Australians without close family ties face significantly higher rates of loneliness.
The study, Family ties, kinlessness, and loneliness among older Australians, is one of the first studies to examine how different family configurations shape loneliness across both community and long‑term care settings.
Lead author of the study, Dr Pei-Chun Ko from the School of Social Sciences at Monash University, said that even with formal aged care support, the absence of partners or children significantly increased the likelihood of severe loneliness.
"Our research shows that family relationships provide unique emotional and social support that formal care services can never fully reproduce, even when practical care needs are met," Dr Ko said.
"Partners often serve as the primary caregivers, while adult children can offer social support and intergenerational connection, links to grandchildren and a wider family network. Our research shows that when these ties are missing, loneliness rises and formal aged‑care services simply cannot replicate the emotional and social support that partners and children typically provide."
The study analysed data from two Australian surveys to examine how family ties relate to loneliness across different care contexts. The study drew on data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, restricting the sample to Australians aged 65 and over and observing how their loneliness changed as their family circumstances changed. Researchers also used the Australian Survey on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Empowering Care in Later Life (AUSSIE) which provides a national sample of older adults receiving government-subsidised long-term care services.
The study categorised family ties into four groups: older adults with both a partner and children; those with a partner only; those with children only; and those who are kinless (have neither partner nor children).
The study found that among community-dwelling older adults, transitioning to partner-only status was associated with the strongest increase in loneliness over time, suggesting intergenerational family connections matter more than previously assumed.
Among older adults receiving long‑term care, the pattern was similar. Those with only children were twice as likely to experience severe loneliness, while kinless older adults were nearly three times as likely compared to those with both a partner and children.
With kinlessness rising globally and more older Australians entering long‑term care, the researchers argue that programs designed to strengthen social connection for people without partners or children will be critical as Australia's population ages.
"These findings show why we need to be actively screening for loneliness among older adults who have limited family ties. Their social and emotional needs can't be met by formal care alone," Dr Ko said.
The study appears in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. The AUSSIE survey was supported by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and the HILDA survey was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. The findings and views reported are those of the authors and do not represent the views of either funder.
