Social Isolation - Risk Factors

Risk Factors

The following are risk factors contribute to reasons why individuals distance themselves from society. They include attractiveness, an individual's or family's economic status, overall repair and maintenance, health and living arrangements.

• Health and Disabilities: People may be embarrassed by their disabilities or health issues so they have a tendency to isolate themselves to avoid social interaction out of fear that they would be judged.
• Loss of a Spouse: Once a spouse has died, the other person may feel lonely.
• Living Alone: People are automatically alone which can result in sadness or even depression. This causes extreme social isolation.
• Aging: Once a person reaches an age where issues such as cognitive impairments and disabilities arise, they are unable to go out and be social.
• Transportation Issues: If the person doesn't have transportation to attend gatherings or to simply get out of the house, they have no choice but to stay home all day which can lead to those feelings of depression.
• Desire to avoid the discomfort arising from being among people. This can happen if other people are sometimes rude, hostile, crude or otherwise unpleasant. The person would just prefer to be alone to avoid the hassles of dealing with people.