# The impact of social isolation on aging health in schizophrenia

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2022 · $764,081

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SZ) exhibit a markedly elevated risk
of premature mortality, with a 10–20-year shorter lifespan relative to the general population. Increased mortality
rates in SZ are largely attributable to the early manifestation of medical conditions that normally occur later in
life, a process known as ‘accelerated aging’. While unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as smoking and unhealthy
diet, account, in part, for accelerated aging in SZ, the excess of physical comorbidities cannot be solely attributed
to these factors. Remarkably, the direct adverse health effects of key clinical characteristics of SZ have rarely
been considered. In the general population, the absence of social contact is known to pose enormous challenges
for physical health, especially at older ages. Given that social isolation is a persistent and disabling feature of
SZ, it is possible that this behavior may contribute to the premature manifestation of health conditions in SZ.
Building on rich pilot data pointing to significant associations between social isolation and long-term perceived
health in SZ, our overarching goal is to test whether and how social isolation contributes to the health
challenges of individuals with SZ as they age. With participants from Europe (EU-GEI) and the US (Olin
Neuropsychiatry Research Center), we will create a longitudinal database of 650 participants, including 500
individuals with SZ, and 150 of their unaffected siblings. We will apply an accelerated longitudinal design by re-
assessing and by examining medical records of research participants who were first evaluated between the
ages of 30-50 and are now 50-65 years of age, a period when many medical conditions and health problems
tend to manifest. We will determine the age-related association between social isolation and adverse health
outcomes in SZ, test for familiality, directionality, and factors moderating this association, and determine the
extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting imposed lockdowns impacted health in SZ. We will
consider generalizability across countries, sexes, and race/ethnicities. The rationale for the proposed research
is that in order to facilitate much-needed targeted therapies to prevent early mortality in SZ, we need to better
understand factors that contribute to the excess of medical comorbidities in SZ. Our central hypothesis is that
social isolation, a common and persistent characteristic of SZ, contributes to the excess of physical
comorbidities in SZ. To meet our overall goal, we will pursue the following aims: (1) Determine the association
between social isolation and adverse health outcomes in SZ; (2) Test for the directionality, and moderating
factors, of the association between social isolation and health outcomes in SZ, and; (3) Examine whether the
COVID-19 pandemic modified associations between social isolation and health outcome in SZ. This study will
be...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10522303
- **Project number:** 1R01MH128971-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** ABRAHAM REICHENBERG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $764,081
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10522303

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10522303, The impact of social isolation on aging health in schizophrenia (1R01MH128971-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10522303. Licensed CC0.

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