The relationship between living alone, loneliness and social isolation, and how they are associated with health remain contentious. We sought to explore typologies based on shared experiences of loneliness, social isolation and living alone using Latent Class Analysis and determine how these groups may differ in terms of their physical and mental health. We used Wave 7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 7,032; mean age = 67.3) and responses to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale, household composition, participation in social/societal activities plus frequency of contact with friends, family and relatives for the Latent Class Analysis. The optimal number of groups was identified using model-fit criteria. The socio-demographic characteristics of groups and health outcomes were explored using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. We identified a six-cluster typology: Group 1, no loneliness or isolation; Group 2, moderate loneliness; Group 3, living alone; Group 4, moderate isolation; Group 5, moderate loneliness, living alone; and Group 6, high loneliness, moderate isolation (with high likelihood of living alone). Groups experiencing loneliness and/or isolation were more likely to report poorer physical and mental health even after adjusting for socio-demographic confounders, this was particularly notable for Group 6. Our results indicate that different typologies of living alone, loneliness and isolation can be identified using data-driven techniques, and can be differentiated by the number and severity of issues they experience.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the umbrella term used for a heterogeneous group of etiologies that occur to a developing fetal or infant brain.¹ People diagnosed as having CP have similar hallmark symptoms including issues with movement, coordination, posture, and balance.^1,2 These motor disturbances can also be comorbid with other issues such as behavioral disturbance, cognitive difficulties, communication difficulties, sensory impairments, epilepsy, and intellectual disability (ID).¹It is estimated that CP affects 2 to 3 in 1000 live births, and approximately 1 in 400 people in the United Kingdom live with CP.^3,4

Aim: Previous research has indicated an association between diabetes and anxiety. However, no synthesis has determined the direction of this association. The aim of this study was to determine the longitudinal relationship between anxiety and diabetes.Methods: We searched seven databases for studies examining the longitudinal relationship between anxiety and diabetes. Two independent reviewers screened studies from a population aged 16 or older that examined either anxiety as a risk factor for incident diabetes or diabetes as a risk factor for incident anxiety. Studies that met eligibility criteria were put forward for data extraction and meta‐analysis.Results: In total 14 studies (n = 1 760 800) that examined anxiety as a risk factor for incident diabetes and two (n = 88 109) that examined diabetes as a risk factor for incident anxiety were eligible for inclusion in the review. Only studies examining anxiety as a risk factor for incident diabetes were put forward for the meta‐analysis. The least adjusted (unadjusted or adjusted for age only) estimate indicated a significant association between baseline anxiety with incident diabetes (odds ratio 1.47, 1.23–1.75). Furthermore, most‐adjusted analyses indicated a significant association between baseline anxiety and incident diabetes. Included studies that examined diabetes to incident anxiety found no association.Conclusions: There was an association between baseline anxiety and incident diabetes. The results also indicate the need for more research to examine the direction of association from diabetes to incident anxiety. This work adds to the growing body of evidence that poor mental health increases the risk of developing diabetes.