We investigate how loneliness develops over the marital dissolution process in older age (i.e., transition at or after age 50) while paying close attention to heterogeneities by the dissolution pathway—widowhood and separation—and gender. Using data from over 8,000 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey respondents, we assess the association of interest using fixed effects regressions. Findings indicate that loneliness increased in the year before widowhood or separation among both women and men. Levels spiked in the year of dissolution, particularly for widowhood but less for separation. Widowed men were substantially more affected than widowed women, and gender differences were negligible for separation. Although loneliness levels gradually declined, widowed men remained vulnerable for remarkably long periods. Such chronic loneliness might be linked to other health disadvantages. These findings highlight the importance of long-term and gender-specific approaches to social support and integration after marital dissolution.

中文翻译：

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暂时性还是慢性？老年丧偶和分居的性别孤独轨迹

我们研究老年时期（即 50 岁或之后的过渡）在婚姻破裂过程中孤独感是如何形成的，同时密切关注婚姻破裂途径（丧偶和分居）和性别的异质性。使用来自澳大利亚 8,000 多名家庭、收入和劳动力动态调查受访者的数据，我们使用固定效应回归评估利益关联。调查结果表明，在丧偶或分居前一年，女性和男性的孤独感有所增加。在解体当年，这一水平飙升，尤其是丧偶者，但分居者则较少。丧偶男性比丧偶女性受到的影响要大得多，而且性别差异对于分居的影响可以忽略不计。尽管孤独感逐渐下降，丧偶男性在相当长的一段时间内仍然脆弱。这种长期的孤独感可能与其他健康问题有关。这些发现强调了在婚姻解除后采取长期和针对性别的社会支持和融合方法的重要性。