Social Isolation: What Is It?
Most individuals periodically want for alone, thus social isolation is not always a bad thing. It can be calming, contemplative, and revitalizing to spend time alone. Generally speaking, social isolation refers to unwelcome and harmful seclusion.
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People who are socially isolated frequently experience depression or loneliness and may not have many close friends or coworkers. They might experience anxiousness or low self-esteem.
Unhealthy social isolation is indicated by the symptoms listed below, which are linked to social isolation:
- Avoiding social situations, even the ones that you used to enjoy
- Regularly canceling arrangements and experiencing relief when they are canceled
- Feeling scared or frightened when considering social situations
- Experiencing distress when left alone
- Having fear connected to social interactions
- Being alone for extended periods of time or having very little contact with others
Emotional isolation, or the incapacity or unwillingness to express one’s sentiments to others, can accompany social isolation. People who are socially isolated may become emotionally numb, or cut off from their own feelings, if they don’t receive emotional support and engagement.
Being Alone and Isolated
Experts distinguish between social isolation and loneliness when examining the origins and effects of isolation.
An objective lack of social connections or infrequent social interaction is known as social isolation. Feeling alone is a personal experience of loneliness. Even though someone is socially isolated, they may not feel lonely. Even in the company of others, loneliness can nevertheless strike a person.
Still, there is a strong connection between loneliness and isolation. Research on the causes, signs, and effects of loneliness illuminates the possible drawbacks of social isolation.
Why Do People Get Socially Isolated?
People may prefer to isolate themselves or remain apart from others for a variety of reasons:
- Violence against intimate partners – People in violent relationships frequently avoid contact with family, friends, or coworkers out of an unwillingness to admit their genuine status.
- Loss of a close one – After losing friends or relatives, seniors who have experienced multiple losses of loved ones within their age group may find it common to isolate themselves.
- Mental health conditions – Social isolation can lead to problems like anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, but it can also initiate them.
- Distant place – People who are geographically isolated from friends and family because of their jobs (such as being in the military) or who reside in rural places may feel alone.
- Impairments of the body – An individual’s capacity for social interaction may be diminished by physical limitations that restrict movement. Some people with physical disabilities are reluctant to socialize because they feel self-conscious about their appearance or handicap. Impairments to vision and hearing can also contribute to feelings of loneliness.
- Social media platforms – Social media communication keeps some people in touch with one another, but if it takes the place of meaningful interactions and face-to-face socializing, it can cause isolation.
- Unemployment – Shame about losing a job or not being able to find another one might cause people to isolate themselves.
The Impact of Physical Distancing on Social Isolation
The goal of physical distance is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by avoiding close or frequent interaction. One of the COVID-19 preventive measures has been isolation. This is the process of keeping an eye on someone’s health, restricting their movement, and separating someone who is suspected of having been exposed to disease. The goal of quarantining is to stop the spread of an infectious disease. Even those who are not exhibiting symptoms can be identified as potentially exposed, isolated, and, if necessary, treated.
Workplace interactions have also undergone a significant change as a result of physical distance techniques. While many companies implemented policies allowing employees to work from home, others were forced to close as a result of the decline in customer activity. Researcher at Stanford University discovered that 42% of the U.S. 33 percent of the labor force did not work at all during the COVID-related economic shutdown, while the remaining labor force worked full-time from home.
Regular in-person encounters are usually restricted to home contexts as options for involvement in job, school, church, and leisure activities are either curtailed or eliminated. Many people are feeling lonely as a result of the abrupt and drastic decrease in social connection brought on by COVID-19.
Consequences of Social Exclusion and Alonedom
Physical and mental well-being are related. The negative effects of social isolation on one’s health can include immune system weakness and insomnia. Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are linked to loneliness. Additionally, poor cardiovascular health and cognitive performance have been related to loneliness and isolation:
According to a Newcastle University epidemiologist’s study, social relationship impairments are linked to a higher risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.
A 40 percent increase in the risk of dementia was linked to loneliness, according to a study published in The Journals of Gerontology.
Although the exact relationship between social isolation and significant medical disorders is unknown, there is a lot of data to support this theory. An American Journal of Epidemiology study found a correlation between social isolation and increased risks of early death. One of the major health hazards identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is loneliness and isolation.
Physical Distancing’s Effects
Certain impacts of social isolation are unique to pandemics and other public health emergencies that necessitate physical separation between people. Depression and loneliness can coexist with anxiety and worry about the risks involved with the incident that required physical barriers to be put in place.
In addition, people can feel resentment and hatred against health and safety regulations that they believe to be unneeded or overly onerous. Frustration and impatience can strike even those who support seclusion and quarantine for safety-related reasons.
High-Risk Entities
Certain populations experience obstacles that raise their vulnerability to loneliness and isolation:
- Newcomers – Social isolation among immigrants can be attributed to various factors such as restricted social links, language hurdles, and cultural and economic challenges.
- Marginalized populations – People of color, LGBTQIA individuals, and others who frequently experience stigma and discrimination may experience social isolation.
- senior citizens – Elderly folks frequently live alone. Their social isolation may be exacerbated by eyesight or hearing impairments.
How to Avoid Social Isolation
Depending on the severity of social isolation, several strategies are used to treat its harmful effects.
Self-Care Techniques for Keeping a Physical Distance
Those who struggle with social isolation should develop self-care techniques. This is especially true when the causes of isolation create actual obstacles to obtaining outside resources.
An outbreak of a disease, for instance, may restrict access to medical care in person. It could be difficult for residents of rural places to get in-person help from mental health specialists.
People can mitigate the adverse consequences of isolation by implementing measures to tackle the obstacles that isolation poses:
- Take up soothing hobbies – Stress that may be brought on by isolation can be reduced by reading, writing, stretching, meditation, prayer, exercise, and hobbies.
- Maintain a schedule – Regular activities foster normalcy and a sense of purpose.
- Continue to practice healthful practices – eating healthfully and sleeping sufficiently, and exercising has the potential to improve mental wellness.
- Maintain contactIn – the event that circumstances prevent face-to-face communication, you can still stay in touch via phone conversations, emails, texts, social media, and video conferences.
- Remain educated – Staying informed might be especially crucial for those who are isolated as a result of a serious threat, such a disease outbreak. People can prevent themselves from being anxious by being informed about their risk.
Having said that, limiting media intake is also beneficial because an excessive amount of bad news can exacerbate anxiety.
Therapeutic Intervention
People who experience the negative impacts of social isolation should be aware of their symptoms and seek professional assistance if they worsen or persist.
Therapists assist by investigating underlying problems associated with seclusion or self-seclusion. As an illustration, For instance, loneliness could be an indication of anxiety or depression in an individual.
A therapist can help people recover control over their social life by creating a treatment plan in addition to recognizing underlying difficulties.
Treatments for social isolation include exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT):
Cognitive behavioral intervention. CBT is a type of talk therapy that assists patients in becoming more conscious of the unfavorable or false beliefs that influence their actions. CBT sessions can assist people in recognizing false beliefs and reshaping pessimistic thoughts.
exposure treatment. Programs for exposure treatment aid in the breaking of phobia and avoidance behaviors. In a safe setting, during exposure therapy sessions, patients are exposed—either physically or mentally—to scenarios they avoid.
Building More Healthful Communities
The field of public health spearheads initiatives to tackle common health problems including social isolation. The online Master of Public Health (MPH) program offered by Tulane University equips individuals who want to work in public health to enhance health outcomes for entire communities.
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The MPH program, which is administered by Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, covers the whole spectrum of public health practices, including epidemiology, environmental health sciences, biostatistics and data science, global community health, behavioral sciences, and health policy and management.
The Tulane Online MPH program is designed for professionals who are called to serve in public health in their early to mid-career stages. It prepares students to become socially conscious and community-informed practitioners who can evaluate health risks and their impact on social justice. Graduates of the program encourage health equity.
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