People who retire abroad are more likely to feel lonely

Retirees who move abroad are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness, a study has found.

According to Dutch research, loneliness can be a "black spot in paradise" for older people who lack community support.

Esma Savas, from the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, said that moving abroad after retirement is becoming increasingly common.

"On social media you see people in Europe sunbathing in Spain, American retirees moving to Mexico and Japanese retirees settling in Malaysia," she added.

Although they “generally report being happy” abroad, “they may still face difficulties adjusting to a new country,” Savas pointed out.

She said these difficulties include reducing contact with family and old friends, including adult children, as well as creating friendships and connections in the new country.

Emotional and social loneliness

To better understand their experiences, Savas and her colleagues surveyed 4,995 Dutch retirees living abroad and a comparison group of 1,338 retirees still living in the Netherlands.

To qualify as retirement migrants, participants living abroad had to be over 65 years old and have moved to the new country after the age of 50.

The research team asked participants about feelings of loneliness and their connections with family, friends, and neighbors, both in their country of origin and in their new country.

They analyzed emotional loneliness, which comes from the lack of close friends or a partner, and social loneliness, which stems from the lack of a wide social circle or sense of belonging to a community.

The results showed that retired immigrants were “more socially isolated” compared to those who stayed home, even though they were, on average, wealthier and healthier than the comparison group.

However, retirees who had moved were, on average, no more emotionally lonely than those who had stayed in their place. The researchers explained that this was probably because many of them had moved with their spouse or partner.

Only retired immigrants who had lost contact with close friends and family from their country of origin were both socially and emotionally more lonely. On the other hand, those who had more contact with neighbors and felt more integrated in their new country reported less social loneliness.

Savas said the study highlights the need for retirees to consider their social support system if they plan to move abroad.

She added: “Older adults may face a ‘double jeopardy’ when retiring to a new country, as they are vulnerable to both age-related and migration-related risk factors, and loneliness itself is a risk factor for health problems.”

“It is important for those considering retiring abroad to plan how to maintain their social connections in their country of origin and create new connections in their new country.”

The study is published in the journal Psychology and Aging. / The Telegraph