What this means
Researchers followed over 2,000 older adults in Santiago, Chile, for many years and grouped them by social ties. People with fewer ties had higher death risk, mostly those in better health. This is one study, so it does not prove social ties cause longer life.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- 2,265 adults aged 60+ in Santiago, Chile
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Social connections and mortality in Chilean older adults: analysis of 20 years of follow-up.
- Authors
- De Albuquerque-Araújo L, Icaza-Noguera G, Márquez-Jara C et al.
- Journal
- Salud publica de Mexico
- Published
- Oct 14, 2026
- Study type
- Study · in humans
- PMID
- 42873953 ↗
Abstract
Background
To estimate the effect of social connections aspects on mortality among the Chilean older population.
What they did
This cohort study analyzed a sample of 2 265 community-dwelling adults aged 60+ from Santiago, Chile, with a median follow-up of 15 years. Social connection clusters were derived via cluster analysis across five dimensions: household size, marital status, group participation, recreational social activities, and perceived social support. All-cause mortality (2000-2019) was the outcome. Cox regression models, Kaplan-Meier curves, and interaction analyses were conducted, adjusting for sex, age, education, income, multimorbidity, and depression.
What they found
Among older adults without multimorbidity at baseline, being in the 'without a partner and social participation' and 'no perception of support and no social participation' clusters increased mortality risk compared to the reference cluster ('with social participation, partner, and support'). These findings suggest that older individuals in better health (without multimorbidity) benefit the most in terms of longevity from being socially integrated.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
De Albuquerque-Araújo L, Icaza-Noguera G, Márquez-Jara C et al. Social connections and mortality in Chilean older adults: analysis of 20 years of follow-up. Salud publica de Mexico. 2026. doi:10.21149/17525. PMID: 42873953. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42873953/