Incontinence and loneliness among Chinese older adults with multimorbidity in primary care: A cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective To evaluate the associations between incontinence and loneliness among the Chinese elderly with multimorbidity in primary care, with the specific aim to look into the relationship of incontinence with social and emotional subdomains of loneliness. Methods This cross-sectional study included older patients with multimorbidity in public primary care clinics in Hong Kong. Loneliness was assessed by the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). Tobit models were used to evaluate the association between incontinence and loneliness before and after adjustment for socio-demographics, lifestyle behaviors, physical and psychological conditions, social support and living status. Results A total of 741 patients were included. Before adjustment, incontinence was associated with higher levels of emotional loneliness (coefficient = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.43–1.06, p  Conclusion Incontinence is independently associated with emotional loneliness. Healthcare professionals should pay special attention to emotional loneliness among older patients with incontinence. Further studies are needed to look into the potential mechanisms and interventions.