RT Journal
A1 Simons LA,  McCallum J, Simons J
T1 IMpact of loneliness and living alone
JF JAMA Internal Medicine
JO JAMA Internal Medicine
YR 2013
FD February 25
VO 173
IS 4
SP 322
OP 323
DO 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1611
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1611
AB 
Recent publications in the journal suggested that living alone was a significant predictor of mortality in subjects at risk of or with atherothrombosis1 and that loneliness was a significant predictor of functional decline and death in those 60 years or older.2 The authors and an accompanying commentary elegantly crystallized the great difficulty in defining and studying “social support.”1,3 In the Dubbo Study4 of 2805 Australian subjects 60 years or older with long-term follow-up, we have re-examined some of these issues using a social support scale derived from the 19-point Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey.5