Family Support and Loneliness among Older Persons in Multiethnic Malaysia

Table 3

Percentage distribution of respondents by levels of loneliness, according to selected sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health and physical condition, and various forms of family support and community engagement ().

Variables/categories	Not lonely	Sometimes lonely	Always lonely	Total
Age group**
60s	49.5	31.5	19.1	100	1154
70s	44.2	33.5	22.4	100	523
80s+	28.9	38.6	32.5	100	114
Sex**
Male	54.6	28.9	16.5	100	710
Female	41.4	34.9	23.8	100	1081
Ethnic group**
Malay	41.2	37.3	21.5	100	814
Chinese	68.0	23.4	8.6	100	440
Indian	57.1	24.7	18.2	100	77
Indigenous	34.1	33.9	32.0	100	460
Marital status**
Currently married	54.7	30.6	14.7	100	945
Widowed/divorced	37.6	34.6	27.8	100	846
Residence**
Urban	56.8	28.9	14.3	100	771
Rural	38.9	35.2	25.9	100	1020
Education level**
No schooling	38.1	34.1	27.8	100	939
Primary level	52.5	33.4	14.1	100	653
Secondary+	67.3	22.1	10.6	100	199
Work status
Still working	49.3	30.6	20.0	100	454
Not working	45.7	33.1	21.2	100	1337
Sources of income**
None	37.6	35.6	26.8	100	447
1-2 sources	47.1	32.2	20.7	100	942
3+ sources	55.5	29.9	14.7	100	402
Illnesses**
None	55.3	29.6	15.1	100	483
1 illness	44.4	31.7	23.9	100	599
2+ illnesses	42.6	35.1	22.3	100	709
Physical limitations**
None	51.4	30.4	18.1	100	1207
1-2 limitations	37.5	36.7	25.8	100	349
3+ limitations	35.3	37.0	27.7	100	235
Monetary support**
Yes	50.5	32.0	17.4	100	986
No	41.9	33.0	25.1	100	805
Paying bills*
Yes	48.6	33.9	17.5	100	954
No	44.3	30.9	24.7	100	837
Food/other necessities
Yes	47.2	33.2	19.5	100	1188
No	45.4	31.0	23.5	100	603
Housework*
Yes	46.6	34.8	18.6	100	1102
No	46.7	28.7	24.5	100	689
Coresidence**
Yes	50.3	33.1	16.6	100	1124
No	40.5	31.6	27.9	100	659
Religion activities
Yes	46.6	34.0	19.4	100	977
No	46.5	30.9	22.6	100	810
Leisure activities
Yes	46.5	33.1	20.4	100	824
No	46.7	32.0	21.3	100	967

Note: **; *.