Early-life traumatic experiences have lasting implications for late-life socio-emotional development, contributing to a greater prevalence of poor mental health in very old age. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of early-life and recent traumatic life experiences on loneliness among centenarians. A total of 154 centenarians participated in a semistructured interview. The time of traumatic occurrence and type of trauma experienced influence loneliness in centenarians. Experiencing a natural disaster 70 or more years ago significantly predicted loneliness. Terror management theory proposes that coming to terms with one’s mortality represents an underlying source of anxiety that can influence human behavior to create both immediate and future defenses. Evidence from this study can be used to improve how aging service practitioners integrate reminiscence or life-review therapy or counseling within clinical or educational settings.

早年的创伤经历对晚年的社会情感发展具有持久的影响，导致老年人心理健康状况不佳的情况更加普遍。本研究的目的是检验早年生活和近期创伤性生活经历对百岁老人孤独感的影响。共有 154 位百岁老人参加了半结构化访谈。创伤发生的时间和创伤经历的类型影响百岁老人的孤独感。70 多年前经历自然灾害显着预测孤独。恐怖管理理论提出，接受一个人的死亡是焦虑的一个潜在来源，它可以影响人类行为，以创造即时和未来的防御。