社会隔离加速衰老的机制与启示

Mechanisms and Implications of Social Isolation in Accelerating Aging

摘要: 伴随人口老龄化进程的加深，社会隔离与孤独感已成为威胁老年群体身心健康的隐性风险因素。本文基于社会学视角，系统剖析老年人社会隔离的生成机制，揭示其通过社会角色夺取、支持网络断裂及数字隔离等路径，形成“社会隔离–功能衰退–健康受损”的内在恶性循环。面对我国独居与空巢老年人口规模持续扩大的现实境况，当前公共卫生与养老服务体系对该风险的识别与干预仍显滞后。基于此，本研究提出应将应对社会隔离纳入深化健康老龄化战略的框架，探索“社交处方”的本土化应用，并从社会监护制度落实、社区支持网络构建及老年社会价值重塑等维度，构建系统性的社会干预路径，以期为促进老年群体的社会融入、提升整体福祉及完善相关公共卫生政策提供理论与实践参考。

Abstract: With the deepening of population aging, social isolation and loneliness have become hidden risk factors threatening the physical and mental health of the elderly. From a sociological perspective, this paper systematically analyzes the generative mechanisms of social isolation among older adults. It reveals how social role deprivation, the disruption of support networks, and digital exclusion form an internal vicious cycle of “social isolation-functional decline-health impairment”. Facing the reality of the continuous expansion of the elderly population living alone or in empty-nest households in China, the current public health and elderly care service systems still lag in identifying and intervening in this risk. Based on this, the present study proposes that addressing social isolation should be incorporated into the framework of the healthy aging strategy. It explores the localized application of “social prescribing” and constructs a systematic social intervention pathway from the dimensions of implementing social guardianship systems, building community support networks, and reshaping the social value of older adults. This aims to provide theoretical and practical references for promoting the social integration of the elderly, enhancing their overall well-being, and improving relevant public health policies.