A prospective cohort followed 9311 adults in three municipalities affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Social isolation was assessed once in 2011 using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 family and friend subscales. Over 54,838 person-years to December 2017 there were 416 deaths. Isolation from friends only, 15.1% of participants, gave an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.28 (95% CI 1.01-1.63). Family-only isolation gave 0.93 (0.48-1.81) and both 1.22 (0.80-1.86); the friend association held only at ages 65 and over. Isolation was measured once, so change after the disaster and direction of causation could not be assessed.
Why it is interesting: In general populations family isolation has been tied to mortality, friend isolation less so; here the pattern reverses. The association persists in people not classed as isolated on the overall LSNS-6 score.
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