Definition Of Loneliness Research Articles

The differential effect of emotional loneliness and social loneliness on late-life depression

Objectives Loneliness adversely affects the prognosis, treatment, and remission of late-life depression. However, no clear distinction of the cause or definition of loneliness was imposed in existing literatures, resulting in mixed findings of the effect of loneliness to late-life depression (LLD). The aim of this study was to explore the association between different facets of loneliness and risk factors of LLD, specifically, if age of onset in LLD possess a different clinical profile in the clinical group. Method 101 Chinese patients with depression and 81 healthy elderlies aged 60 or above were assessed on loneliness level, depressive symptoms, cognitive symptoms, physical condition, and motivational level. Univariate analyses were applied in exploring group differences in clinical profiles and multivariate regression to determine variables associated with subsets of loneliness. Results LLD patients reported more emotional loneliness but not social loneliness than healthy controls (p < 0.001). Emotional loneliness was the only significant predictor of suicidal ideation, particularly on patients with early-onset depression, explaining 26.8% of the effect (p < 0.001). Finally, the effect of medical comorbidity on depression severity was mediated by emotional loneliness(Z = 2.159, p = 0.031). Conclusion The current research highlights more attention should be placed on the age of onset and medical comorbidity in elderlies with depression. The distinction between emotional loneliness and social loneliness is better understood in the Asian population, reinforcing the importance of taking cultural influence into account when understanding psychological constructs.

264 FREEDOM AND LONELINESS: SPOUSAL DEMENTIA CARE-GIVERS AND THE NURSING HOME TRANSITION

Abstract Background Many persons with dementia transition to nursing home care, but little is known about the impact, positive and negative, that this may have on the social isolation and loneliness of their spouse. Methods Using our existing theoretical synthesis of loneliness to provide sensitising concepts, we conducted a deductive grounded theory study of loneliness during the nursing home transitions. We recruited 11 spousal participants to engage in semi-structured remote interviews during 2021. Results Participants provided their own definitions of loneliness, and spoke about their life history of loneliness, the loneliness associated with living with a spouse with dementia, and the loneliness, and alleviation of loneliness through re-engagement with social contacts, associated with their spouse moving to the nursing home. Participants agreed with the idea that loneliness has a physical feeling. More distal parts of the theoretical synthesis, such as the influence that culture and gender have on loneliness, were not corroborated by the findings. Conclusion We conclude that loneliness is a frequent experience among spousal caregivers whose spouse has moved to nursing home care, but that loneliness is also associated with living with a spouse with dementia. Loneliness in this population was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. Further research steps will involve more targeted interviewing to focus on the link between transitions and loneliness in this and in other populations.

DETECTION OF DEPRESSION USING THE UCLA THREE-ITEM LONELINESS SCALE IN OLDER CHINESE

Loneliness is a significant and independent risk factor for later life depression. This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale and to ascertain the cut-off point in detecting depression in community-dwelling older adults. The English version of the UCLA was translated into Chinese by six experienced social workers, clinical psychologists and researchers, and content validity was established by consultation and revision with 10 older adults. 1,919 older adults aged 60 years and over (average age = 76.3±8.0) were recruited from local NGOs, they were interviewed for demographic information, and assessed using the 3-item loneliness scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Cronbach’s α of the Chinese loneliness scale was 0.87; the average score was 4.0 ± 3.0 out of 9, and it significantly correlated with living alone (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), unmarried (r = 0.12, p < 0.001), no emotional support (r = 0.14, p < 0.001), and depression (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Using PHQ-9 cut-off score of 5 for mild and above depression, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.73 ± 0.1 (p < .001, 95% CI 0.71-0.76) with 77% sensitivity and 61% specificity. We determined a cut-off point of 3 for loneliness using the Youden index, which revealed better sensitivity over alternative definitions of loneliness. A cut-off point of 3 in the Chinese UCLA 3-item loneliness scale can reliably identify possible depression in community-dwelling older Chinese.

Conceptualizing loneliness in health research: Philosophical and psychological ways forward.

Increasing attention is being paid to loneliness, and to its impact on the health of older people, across numerous disciplines including psychology, public health, social policy, and psychiatry. In tandem, there has been increasing interest in the impact of social factors on health. However, definitions of loneliness are disparate, and a consensus on its meaning is arguably lacking. Often, loneliness is conflated with similar but distinct concepts such as social isolation, absence of social support, or a lack of social connectedness. We submit that the concept of loneliness requires clarification, especially in the extant health literature. We attempt to synthesize theories of loneliness provide a framework for future interventions. We further argue that the necessary clarification can be achieved using both empirical and nonempirical methodologies, under a transdisciplinary effort. We describe the potential for psychology, public health, and philosophy to come together to achieve this conceptual clarity around loneliness and to develop effective interventions on this problematic experience as a result.

Invisible Barriers: The Loneliness of School Principals at Turkish Elementary Schools

School principals fulfil unique and crucial roles, drawing on their respective experience to react to an increasing number of challenges. They must carry out their roles as school leaders within a context highly charged with emotion. The loneliness of principals at schools urgently requires investigation. Limited details can be found in current academic literature concerning the issue of how principals deal with the issue of loneliness at school. Therefore, the aim of this study is to gain insight into the nature of loneliness among school principals. The study employed a qualitative research design incorporating a phenomenological approach. The participants of the study consisted of seven elementary school principals. The data was collected via face-to-face interviews, and related observations were carried out over the duration of two months during the two semesters of the 2015-2016 academic year. The data was then analysed across three steps, namely an exploration of the general meaning/significance of the data, an encoding of the data, and a subsequent identification of the principal themes involved. As a result of this analysis, three main themes were identified: psychological insight, the organisational climate, and professional effort. Psychological insight is the notion that all participants agreed on and emphasised when asked to offer a definition of loneliness at schools. Participants also agreed on the fact that the organisational climate at Turkish schools represented the most significant reason for principals’ loneliness at work. The school principals that participated in the study stated that they invested (additional) professional efforts (in their work) to overcome this invisible barrier. The results were discussed in the light of existing literature, and suggestions were presented within the context of the final discussion. Keywords: barriers; loneliness at work; school principals; Turkish elementary schools

Is Facebook A Planet of Lonely Individuals? : A Review of Literature

Social media is a new formed society for individuals to interact and connect with each other, despite of their caste, class, region, religion, and race, which eventually is focusing on the overall wellbeing of individuals surfing on social media regularly. Loneliness has a major influence on psychosocial problems, mental health, and physical well-being which is now focusing the individuals more who spends most of the time online. Many people on social media sites often present idealized versions of their lives, leading others to make upward social comparisons, which can lead to negative emotions. Social interactions on social media sites, specifically Facebook, may have a negative impact on face-to-face encounters for individuals who already have high levels of Loneliness and anxiety. In the present review, loneliness is introduced as an exemplar of social media deficits highlighting the social media website Facebook. Here a definition of loneliness is provided, as well as explanation of why it may pose a situation of concern for Facebook users.

Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults.

We aimed to determine whether loneliness is associated with higher health care utilization among older adults in the United States. We used panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008 and 2012) to examine the long-term impact of loneliness on health care use. The sample was limited to community-dwelling persons in the United States aged 60 years and older. We used negative binomial regression models to determine the impact of loneliness on physician visits and hospitalizations. Under 2 definitions of loneliness, we found that a sizable proportion of those aged 60 years and older in the United States reported loneliness. Regression results showed that chronic loneliness (those lonely both in 2008 and 4 years later) was significantly and positively associated with physician visits (β = 0.075, SE = 0.034). Loneliness was not significantly associated with hospitalizations. Loneliness is a significant public health concern among elders. In addition to easing a potential source of suffering, the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.

Do You Feel Lonely? You are Not Alone: Lessons from Social Neuroscience

DEFINITION OF LONELINESS Described in the scientific literature more than 30 years ago, the feeling of being lonely is characterized as feeling socially isolated or on the social perimeter [3]. It is noteworthy that feeling lonely does not necessarily mean being physically alone. Loneliness corresponds to a discrepancy between the relationships one wants and the relationships one has, so one can feel socially isolated even when they are among “friends.” As the celebrity, George Clooney, said: “Anyone would be lying if they said they did not get lonely at times. The loneliest you will get is in the most public of arenas: you will go to a place and end up in the smallest compartment possible, because it is a distraction to everybody, and you end up not getting to enjoy it like everyone else.” Although loneliness makes people feel sad, it has another, less obvious effect on our brain and biology: it triggers a sense in which the world is unsafe, and the brain tilts toward a self-preservation mode.

Representations of loneliness in children’s drawings

This article reports the results of a study which aimed to examine the development of children’s ability to depict loneliness in their drawings. Seventy-eight children and 20 adults took part in the study. Participants were first asked a series of questions assessing their conceptions of loneliness, and were then invited to draw a picture that conveys loneliness. The resulting drawings were coded and scored for the presence of the two dimensions of loneliness: cognitive and emotional. First, the authors examined the use by participants of graphic indicators denoting deficiencies in one’s social relations resulting to loneliness (cognitive dimension); second, they assessed the expressive strategies participants employed to convey the negative affect that typically accompanies loneliness in their drawings (emotional dimension). Finally, the authors tested the relationship between children’s definitions of loneliness with their drawings of the construct. The results show a clear developmental progression in children’s pictorial representations of loneliness. Whereas the majority of young children represented loneliness as the absence of a social network, older children used graphic indicators to convey both the absence of a social network and the sadness that accompanies loneliness. In contrast to children, adults consistently included symbolic or metaphoric graphic indicators in their drawings to convey the negative affect accompanying the experience of loneliness.

Alleviating Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older People

Social isolation and loneliness are often perceived as problems of old age. Although a wide range of services have evolved to combat such ‘negative’ experiences, little is known about the effectiveness, acceptability and accessibility of these interventions. We explored the inter-relationship between older people's and practitioners' perceptions of social isolation and loneliness, and their suggestions for effective interventions. Interviews demonstrated a disparity between definitions of loneliness and social isolation, and perceptions of acceptable interventions. Findings suggest that older people employ a range of coping strategies that are not taken into account when services are planned. Many services treat older people as a homogenous group, giving little consideration to the specific needs of those who are isolated and lonely, or to ways to reach them. Activities often evolve to meet the needs of current participants, rather than of the intended target group, excluding those who are truly isolated ...