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Results for “Loneliness”

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PubMed2002

Self-efficacy beliefs as predictors of loneliness and psychological distress in older adults.

Sociodemographic variables, social support, and physical health have been used previously in a few predictor models of loneliness and psychological distress in late life. The present study, however, was designed to test the hypothesis that self-efficacy beliefs of elderly persons are significantly stronger predictors of loneliness and psychological distress than are demographics, social support, and physical health variables used in earlier predictor models. A sample of 141 women and 101 men, aged 65 to 86, reporting awide range of health status from "poor" to "excellent" was drawn from the region of Southern Alberta. Standard self-report measures were used to assess perceived self-efficacy in eight different domains. Findings from a series of hierarchical regression analyses that were conducted separately for men, women, and the combined sample supported the hypothesis concerning the superiority of the self-efficacy variables as predictors of loneliness and psychological distress. Gender-specific variations revealed that women's stronger self-efficacy domains in the interpersonal, social, and emotional realms, and men's stronger self-efficacy beliefs in the instrumental, financial, and physical realms predicted less loneliness and psychological distress. Spiritual self-efficacy emerged as being the most potent predictor, accounting for the largest percentage of explained variance in loneliness and psychological distress in the women's and combined sample. Implications of the findings are discussed for geriatric practitioners and clinicians.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

Narcissism and loneliness.

The research described here centers on how a narcissistic intrusion during early childhood may develop into narcissistic difficulties which manifest themselves, later in life, in feelings of loneliness. The results from a study of elderly women in Stockholm, Sweden, indicated that loneliness in old age is greater among an intruded group in comparison to those whose parental influence was not intrusive. The feelings of loneliness are even more severe if the mother was a housewife. There was also a relationship between social position and loneliness, but only for those women whose family orientation was not intrusive and whose mothers were housewives. The results encourage further study of the etiological contributions of parental influence during childhood on later experience of loneliness.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

Self-focus, other-focus, and interpersonal needs as correlates of loneliness.

Residential college students (44 men, 51 women) participated in a questionnaire study to clarify the relationship between loneliness, self- or other-focus, and interpersonal needs. Contrary to predictions, loneliness was unrelated to self-focus, other-focus, or the ability to elicit disclosure from others. However, sex differences were found on interpersonal needs. Specifically, loneliness in men was predicted by a lack of expressed inclusion and a desire for control from others, while loneliness in women was predicted by a lack of expressed affection. These findings suggest that lonely men and women may benefit from different intervention strategies. Outcome studies are needed to ensure that such interventions actually reduce loneliness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Loneliness and pet ownership among single women.

Relationships among loneliness, pet ownership, and attachment were studied in a sample of 148 adult female students, 59 pet owners and 89 nonowners. No significant differences were found on the loneliness reported by pet owners and nonowners. A two by two analysis of variance showed that women living entirely alone were significantly more lonely than those living with pets only, with both other people and pets, and with other people but without pets. No associations were found between loneliness and pet attachment. Also, no significant differences were found in loneliness or pet attachment scores between dog and cat owners; however, women living only with a dog were significantly more attached to the dog than those living with both a dog and other people. Conversely, women living only with a cat were significantly less attached to the cat than those living with both a cat and other people. These findings indicate that having a pet can help to diminish feelings of loneliness, particularly for women living alone, and compensate for the absence of human companionship.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Factors related to loneliness.

To examine the relations of sex, age, and alcohol with loneliness, 294 subjects completed the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, a 20-item rating scale which measures satisfaction and dissatisfaction with current social relationships. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance of the loneliness scores indicated a significant main effect for age, with older subjects rating loneliness higher than younger subjects. There was also a significant interaction between age and alcohol use. Older subjects who reported consuming alcohol on more days also rated loneliness higher whereas younger subjects who reported consuming alcohol on more days were least lonely.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Perceived sources of loneliness of incarcerated men.

The present study examined the influence of incarceration on sources of loneliness. It was hypothesized that incarcerated offenders would perceive the causes of their loneliness differently than a general population sample. 145 male offenders and 112 men from the general population who were recruited on a voluntary basis, reported the sources of their loneliness on a 15-item (yes/no) questionnaire. Analysis indicated a significant difference in the perceived sources of loneliness amongst the two populations. Also duration of loneliness, i.e., chronic vs episodic, was associated with perception of its causes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Stigmatization of social and intimacy loneliness.

82 female and 62 male college students judged the psychosocial functioning and acceptability of hypothetical peers that depicted 2 Levels of Loneliness (Lonely versus Nonlonely) x 2 Domains of Loneliness (Social versus Intimacy). Analysis indicated the students stigmatized both social and intimacy loneliness; they ascribed lower psychosocial functioning to and were less accepting of the lonely than nonlonely peer for both the social and intimacy domains of loneliness. The students, however, displayed greater differentiation in the ascription of psychosocial functioning between the lonely and nonlonely peers for the intimacy than the social domain of loneliness.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Loneliness in domestically abused women.

The qualitative aspects of loneliness in abused women were explored. 80 women, victims of domestic abuse who were staying in shelters, were compared with 84 women from the general population who had no history of abusive relationships. A 30-item loneliness questionnaire, having five qualitative dimensions of loneliness, namely Emotional Distress, Social Inadequacy and Alienation, Growth and Discovery, Interpersonal Isolation, and Self-alienation, was utilized to compare the loneliness in the two samples. Analysis supported the hypothesis that abused women experience loneliness differently from the general population. These abused women scored significantly higher on Emotional Distress, Interpersonal Isolation, and the Self-alienation subscales.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Loneliness and alcoholism: a study of three groups of male alcoholics.

Three groups of alcoholics at different stages of recovery were tested for loneliness with the Sisenwein Loneliness Scale. The groups consisted of alcoholics going through detoxification (acute), alcoholics in outpatient treatment who had had at least two drinking episodes in the previous 6 months (chronic), and alcoholics having at least 1 year of sobriety (recovering). It was hypothesized that the acute group would exhibit more loneliness than the chronic group, who would in turn demonstrate more loneliness than the recovering group. Results showed that acute group to demonstrate significantly (p less than .01) more loneliness on the Sisenwein (mean = 134.4) than the recovering group (mean = 54.6). The chronic group (mean = 91.0) was not significantly different than the others at the p less than .01 level, but the mean score did fall in the expected direction.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Loneliness. Easing the pain of the hospitalized elderly.

For the older adult, loneliness may contribute to deterioration in physical and mental health. Some factors that may contribute to loneliness in the older adult include the death of a spouse, loss of a pet, lack of visitors, physical incapacity, role changes, and relocation. In general, loneliness may be the result of events that typically occur as a part of the aging process. Nurses can decrease the incidence of loneliness in the older adult by ensuring access to visitors and facilitating involvement in usual activities. Assessment information that is needed to plan nursing care to decrease the incidence of loneliness includes data regarding the patient's cultural background; significant persons, objects, and activities; and previous hospitalization experiences.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1995

[A study on the developmental process of personal and social orientedness in relation to changes in loneliness types].

The main purpose of this study was to examine the developmental process of personal and social orientedness in young adults in relation to changes in loneliness types. Two hundred and sixty-two male and 416 female college students completed the loneliness, personal and social orientedness, and self-esteem scales. They were classified into four loneliness types (by Ochiai, 1983), and Type A (Loneliness from conformity to others) and D (Loneliness from independence) were compared, in accordance with a previous finding that youths tend to change from the former to latter. Although students of the two types scores was high for Type A, but was not significant for Type D. Second, self-esteem was correlated with only personal orientedness for Type A, but with both scores of orientedness for Type D. It is argued from the results that in the development of personal and social orientedness in young adults, the stage where the self emerges from a fused state of self and other, evolves on the basis of self-other independence, to the stage where both personal and social orientedness become important after only personal orientedness has played a central role.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Quality of life among the elderly. State of mood and loneliness in two selected groups.

Cognitively impaired and intact elderly subjects from a longitudinal project were interviewed in a follow-up study about their present state of mood and how often they experienced loneliness. In all, 315 subjects were involved in the study. The dropout rate was high, about 50%, due to death and to the fact that some elderly persons--especially those with slightly impaired cognitive function--declined to participate. The present state of mood was measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale and loneliness was assessed by the question, 'Do you experience loneliness often, sometimes, seldom or never?' Most subjects (4 out of 5), above all those who were cognitively intact, reported basic satisfaction with their lives. The greatest difference in response between the two cognitive groups was found in the question about having an empty life. Loneliness and sad mood prevailed especially among subjects with cognitive difficulties. In summary, experiencing loneliness had a negative influence on the state of mood in both cognitive groups, particularly among persons with cognitive impairment.

Affect↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alternate explanations of loneliness in adolescents: a replication and extension study.

Alternate explanations of loneliness proposed by Weiss (1973)--the situational theory and the characterological theory--were tested in samples of early (N = 113), middle (N = 106), and late (N = 106) adolescents. In addition to completing the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, participants completed instruments linked to either the situational or characterological explanation of loneliness. Data were analyzed using hierarchical analysis of sets. For early adolescents, the results indicated that the characterological set of variables explained somewhat more variance in loneliness than did the situational set of variables. These findings did not replicate those of the original study (Mahon & Yarcheski, 1988). For middle and late adolescents, the results indicated that the situational set of variables explained more variance in loneliness than did the characterological set.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1989

Loneliness among late adolescents.

The extent of loneliness among late adolescents was assessed by means of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Findings suggest that although moderate loneliness was reported by most participants, a number of young people evidenced a high degree of loneliness. A comparison of lonely and nonlonely adolescents yielded relatively few significant differences. Of particular interest, however, was the finding that lonely and nonlonely adolescents use different strategies to deal with feelings of loneliness. Implications for working with lonely adolescents are offered.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Loneliness and disturbed grief: a comparison of parents who lost a child to suicide or accidental death.

Grief reactions of two types of sudden untimely deaths were compared: the loss of a child by accidental death and the loss of a child by suicidal death. Three hypotheses were tested. The degree of disturbed grief and the degree of loneliness in parents who lost a child to suicidal death were compared to those reactions in parents who lost a child to accidental death. The relationship between the degree of disturbed grief and the degree of loneliness was assessed. For suicide survivors, grief and loneliness tended to rise over time, whereas grief and loneliness decreased over time for accidental death survivors. The findings from this study indicate that the loss of a child from an accidental death places a parent at high risk for disturbed grief and loneliness, and at even higher risk when the loss is a result of suicidal death.

Accidents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Loneliness in early adolescents: an empirical test of alternate explanations.

Two alternate explanations of loneliness by Weiss (1973), the situational theory and the characterological theory, were tested in a sample of 112 boys and girls between the ages of 12 to 14. In addition to responding to the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, participants completed instruments measuring variables linked to either the situational or the characterological explanations of loneliness. Using hierarchical analysis of sets, the results indicated that the set of variables used to test the situational theory explained more variance in loneliness when entered first (62%) or second (34%) in the analysis than did the characterological set when entered first (33%) or second (5%) in the analysis. The findings suggested that the situational explanation played a more significant role than the characterological explanation in understanding loneliness in early adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Rural adolescent loneliness and coping strategies.

The extent of loneliness of rural adolescents was investigated in relation to aspects of their self-esteem. The study sample consisted of 387 4-H children from rural Nebraska ranging in age from 8 to 20 years. Data were gathered using the Loneliness Inventory (Woodward, 1967), Bachman's (1970) Self-Esteem Scale, and the Coping Strategies Inventory (Woodward, 1987). It was found that rural adolescents have extremely high loneliness scores and that 10 of 12 self-esteem characteristics were significant at the .05 level in relation to loneliness scores. Resources and coping strategies used by the subjects to combat loneliness are provided and implications of the findings discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1988

Assessment of the perceived school loneliness and isolation of mentally retarded and nonretarded students.

Research indicates that mentally retarded students are often socially rejected or neglected by peers, which may result in students feeling lonely or isolated. Perceived school loneliness and isolation of mainstreamed retarded students and their nonretarded peers was assessed using a 5-point, Likert-type loneliness scale. Retarded students reported significantly more loneliness and isolation than did their nonretarded counterparts. Findings suggest that mainstreaming by itself does not eliminate loneliness and other adverse effects of social isolation. Results were discussed in terms of social metacognition theory and possible intervention needed to remediate the loneliness of retarded students.

Adolescent↗