Abstract
The subjective nature of loneliness poses challenges for valid and reliable assessment methods - what should we ask when we want to evaluate one´s loneliness? Therefore, this study aimed to compare loneliness assessed by different indicators: frequency of loneliness over the last year, number of good friends, satisfaction with existing social relationships, and the short version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. These indicators were used to study the gender and age-related differences between lonely and non-lonely adults and as predictors for the self-reported consequences of loneliness. The sample consisted of 17,258 Finnish adults aged 30 to 60 years. Based on our results, the number of good friends had less power as an indicator for the self-reported negative consequences of loneliness than did the other indicators (i.e., satisfaction with existing personal relationships and resultant [based on confirmatory factor analysis] social and emotional loneliness factors of the UCLA Loneliness Scale). The importance of identifying loneliness in the prevention of psychosocial and economic issues, substance abuse and eating disorders, and negative consequences on health is discussed. More broadly, based on our results, we find that there is a legitimate reason to consider loneliness as a form of social inequality.
Highlights
Among self-reported negative consequences of loneliness, we explored three sets of variables: 1) consequences related to health and psychosocial issues, 2) consequences related to socio-economic issues, and 3) consequences related to problems with drinking and eating habits
To measure social and emotional loneliness, we developed a Finnish version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale, version 3 [28]
Among the four sets of indicators of loneliness, the least predictive value for self-reported negative consequences of loneliness was the single question concerning the number of good friends
Summary
Since the results of a persons loneliness seems to depend on the kind of question asked our first main aim was to compare results from different indicators used to assess adults’ self-reported feelings of loneliness. For this purpose, we used questions regarding 1) whether the respondent had experienced frequent or constant feelings of loneliness during past year, 2) the number of his/her good friends, 3) his/her satisfaction with existing social relationships, and the short version of UCLA Loneliness Scale hypothesized to consist factors of social and emotional loneliness. Among self-reported negative consequences of loneliness, we explored three sets of variables: 1) consequences related to health and psychosocial issues (illnesses, depression, lack of initiative, fear of future, isolating home, social fears, divorce), 2) consequences related to socio-economic issues (unemployment, poverty, incurring of a debt, gambling, comfort shopping), and 3) consequences related to problems with drinking and eating habits (substance abuse, comfort eating, loss of appetite)
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