Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University. Since 2019, she has been heading the Israel Gerontological Data Center at the Hebrew University and has also served as the Country Team Leader of Israel in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Prof. Shiovitz-Ezra's research is focused on the study of loneliness experienced in old age. She aims to identify risk and protective factors for loneliness and address the mental and physical health consequences of loneliness. Recently, her studies have also explored how loneliness affects health in later life by examining the bio-physiological pathways. Her research found that two stress-sensitive systems, the immune system, and the metabolic system, are affected by loneliness. In addition to her work on loneliness, Prof. Shiovitz-Ezra also addresses the phenomenon of ageism, its consequences, and its effects on old age.
Recent Publications
Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Rozen, R. (2023). Alone but not lonely: The concept of positive solitude. International Psychogeriatrics, 1-7.
Khalaila, R., Cohn-Schwartz, E., Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Lawlor, B. (2023). A prospective association between social isolation and cognitive performance among older adults in Europe: the role of loneliness and poor oral health. Aging & Mental Health, 1-7.
Cohen, Y., Spector-Marzel, G., & Shiovitz-Ezra, S. (2023). The second empty nest: The lived experience of older women whose intensive grand motherhood has ceased. Journal of Aging Studies, 66, 101163.
Shiovitz-Ezra, S., Erlich, B. , & Ayalon, L. (2023). Short- and Medium-Term Effects of Ageism on Loneliness Experienced During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(6), 1255-1266. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231159372.
Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Erlich, B. (2023). Loneliness patterns and sleep problems after the initial outbreak of COVID-19: Findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Educational Gerontology, 49 (1), 27-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2022.2067960.
Khalaila, R., & Shiovitz‐Ezra, S. (2023). Social distancing and trouble sleeping during COVID‐19 pandemic among older adults in Europe: Mediating and moderating effects. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 55(1), 131-140.
Hadida-Naus, S., Spector-Mersel, G., & Shiovitz-Ezra, S. (2023). Alone in the shadow of terror: Strategies and internal resources of older adults living alone in a continuous traumatic situation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 93(3), 188–197. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000667.
Shiovitz-Ezra, S. (2023). Considering a more complex view of loneliness: Commentary on “Fluctuations in Loneliness Due to Changes in Frequency of Social Interactions among Older Adults: A Weekly Based Diary Study”. International Psychogeriatrics, 35(6), 275-278. doi:10.1017/S1041610223000364.
Rosenberg, D., Shiovitz-Ezra, S., & Ayalon, L. (2023). Helps you, helps me? Provision of support and loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 113, 105065, ISSN 0167-4943, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2023.105065.
Rosenberg, D., & Shiovitz-Ezra, S. (2023). Cross-Temporal Patterns of Care Provision by Older Adults during COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Resilience. OBM Geriatrics, 7(3), 1-12.
Recent Research Grants
2022 - present The Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research. "Preliminary examination of the impact of the implementation of dental health reform on the use of dental health services among people aged 75 and over and the development of a national database in the field of oral and dental health in Israel" (grant # 205-21). Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra (PI) and Lena Natapov (co. PI)
2020 - Ministry of Science and Technology. " Loneliness and social isolation in the shade of the Corona: The role of social networks" (grant #3-16944), Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra (PI).