Lonely People Research Articles

Absence and Presence of Human Interaction: The Relationship Between Loneliness and Empathy.

Loneliness is the negative experience of a discrepancy between the desired and actual personal network of relationships. Whereas past work have focused on the effect of loneliness on prosocial behaviors, the present research addressed the gap by exploring the effect of loneliness on empathy. Empathy is the emotional reaction of sharing in others’ internal experiences. We adopted a new paradigm-empathy selection task, which uses free choices to assess the desire to empathize. Participants made a series of binary choices, selecting situations that instructed them to empathize or objectively describe. Results from two studies showed that, compared to non-lonely people, lonely people were more likely to choose positive empathy but to avoid negative empathy. The pattern occurs because lonely people perceived higher (vs. lower) social support in the positive (vs. negative) empathy tasks. Moreover, empathy served to be an adaptive emotion regulation strategy developed by lonely people to reduce their loneliness effectively. This research has resulted in both theoretical contributions to prosocial behavior literature and the further discovery of practical implications for loneliness intervention.

Being a volunteer encountering older people's loneliness and existential loneliness: alleviating loneliness for others and oneself.

The increasing proportion of older people worldwide is challenging society and the healthcare sector to develop new solutions, such as involving volunteers, especially to combat loneliness among older people. Loneliness is a broad concept comprising, for example existential loneliness - a deep feeling of aloneness in the world. We know little about volunteers' experience of encountering older people's loneliness in general and existential loneliness in particular. Such knowledge is important in order to develop high-quality volunteering. This study aimed to describe volunteers' experience of becoming and being a volunteer, and encountering older people's loneliness in general and existential loneliness in particular. This descriptive qualitative study is based on eight focus group interviews and twelve individual interviews with volunteers from different organisations, analysed using conventional content analysis. Being a volunteer meant being a fellow human being, alleviating loneliness for others and oneself. Becoming a volunteer was a way of finding meaning, and volunteering made the volunteers feel rewarded and simultaneously emotionally challenged. Being a volunteer also meant acting on one's values, challenging boundaries when necessary. Encountering loneliness, including existential loneliness, required sensitivity to others' needs for both closeness and distance. Being a volunteer benefitted not only the older persons the volunteers met, but also the volunteers' own sense of meaning, by alleviating their own loneliness. Sharing existential thoughts and having meaningful conversations about life and death are challenging, but can contribute to the personal growth of the volunteers themselves. It is important to remember that not all volunteers are confident in having existential conversations, so it is important to pay attention to each volunteer's prerequisites and needs. In addition, there is a need for support to volunteers' engagement such as clarifying their role and clarifying the responsibility and expectations from health and social care.

Prevalence and determinants of loneliness in people living with dementia: Findings from the IDEAL programme

To establish the prevalence and determinants of loneliness among people living with dementia. Using data from the baseline wave of the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) cohort study, we examined the prevalence and predictors of loneliness in 1547 people with mild-to-moderate dementia. Loneliness was assessed using the six-item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale. About 30.1% of people with dementia reported feeling moderately lonely and 5.2% severely lonely. Depressive symptoms and increased risk of social isolation were associated with both moderate and severe loneliness. Those living alone were more likely to experience severe loneliness as were those reporting poorer quality of life. Marital status was not associated with loneliness nor were dementia diagnosis or cognitive function. This is one of the few large-scale studies to explore the prevalence of and determinants of loneliness among people living with dementia. Social isolation, depression and living alone were associated with experiencing loneliness. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the directionality of these associations.

Intervention to reduce perceived loneliness in community-dwelling older people.

We evaluated the reduction in perceived loneliness and depression and the increase in social support and quality of life in community-dwelling lonely people aged >65years included in a community intervention compared with nonlonely controls from the same urban area. Randomised clinical trial without blind evaluation. Urban area of Barcelona. Community dwellers aged >65years with loneliness identified by the primary care team. The primary care team together with community agents (municipal social services, community civil and religious associations) carried out 18 sessions developing activities including educational workshops, mindfulness, yoga, walking and visits to urban gardens. We included 55 patients (87% female, mean age 80.6±6.86years) of whom 82% had moderate and 18% severe loneliness. Six months postintervention, 48.3% of the intervention group did not feel lonely compared with 26.9% of controls (p=0.001). Social support (DUKE-UNC-11) increased from 33.5±9.3 to 41.4±6.6, and mental health (SF-12) from 36±610.4 to 48±11.1 and depressive symptoms (Yesavage test) decreased from 9.2±3.6 to 5.2±5.0 in the intervention but not the control group. The intervention mainly reached people with moderate loneliness and significantly improved the perception of loneliness, depressive symptoms, social support and the mental health component of the quality of life. The intervention may be more suitable for people with moderate loneliness, but these types of activities may be difficult to accept by people with severe loneliness not related to the barriers to socialisation generated by ageing.

Managing loneliness: a qualitative study of older people’s views

Engaging with older people who self-identify as lonely may help professionals in mental health and other services understand how they deal with loneliness. The evidence-base for effective interventions to address loneliness is inconclusive. This study aimed to explore how community-dwelling lonely older people in England manage their experiences of loneliness. Twenty eight community-dwelling older people identifying as lonely, based on responses to two loneliness measures (self-report and a standardised instrument), participated in in-depth interviews between 2013 and 2014. Fifteen lived alone. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted by a multidisciplinary team including older people. Participants drew on a range of strategies to ameliorate their distress which had been developed over their lives and shaped according to individual coping styles and contexts. Strategies included physical engagement with the world beyond their home, using technologies, planning, and engagement with purpose in an ‘outside world’, and acceptance, endurance, revealing and hiding, positive attitude and motivation, and distraction within an ‘inside world’. Strategies of interests and hobbies, comparative thinking, religion and spirituality and use of alcohol straddled both the inside and outside worlds. Participants conveyed a personal responsibility for managing feelings of loneliness rather than relying on others. This study includes the experiences of those living with loneliness whilst also living with other people. When developing policy and practice responses to loneliness it is important to listen attentively to the views of those who may not be engaging with services designed for ‘the lonely’ and to consider their own strategies for managing it.

Why Russia Will Never Make It

The article deals with the complex and multifaceted issue of self-esteem of the Muscovite population. The centuries-old seclusion from Western European processes has forged the psychological type of a ‘lonely people’ constantly looking for its shore but never quite finding it. Such separateness and otherness have led to the cultivation in the public consciousness of a stereotypical higher calling, special mission, mysteriousness, etc. The permanent ‘closed solitude’ has given rise to another psychological phenomenon – suspiciousness and aversion to everything foreign. For the sake of painting an in-depth psychological portrait of Muscovites, the author cites, for instance, controversial thoughts of Nikolai Berdyaev, who analyses the three most important elements of the Russian mindset – its perception of statehood, ethnicity, and religion. Over time, the psychological knots and traumas tied up during the formative stage of the Muscovite nation have eventually transformed into paranoid ideas of its exceptionalism and permissiveness. The author steadily justifies that the psychological type of the Russian people is hazardous for everyone around, particularly for Russia itself. It has not established itself as a democratic, liberal, free, and social state, as it cannot – and will not – do it. Therefore, its internal repressions and international aggression are an evolutionary dead end and a catalyst for collapse. Keywords: Muscovy, psychological type, Berdyaev, Putin, chauvinism, propaganda, rapaciousness.

Loneliness in assisted living facilities: An exploration of the group process

Background More than one in three older people in assisted living facilities suffer from loneliness that leads to adverse health outcomes. Group work may have the potential to improve residents’ quality of life. Aims/Objectives The purpose of this feasibility study was to thoroughly describe a facilitated group process and compare its effects on cognitively impaired (n = 6) and cognitively intact (n = 7) lonely resident groups in assisted living facilities. Material and Methods We used a closed, occupational therapy-oriented group model designed for lonely people. The study used a qualitative, multi-method approach. Material included individual and focus group interviews, observations and the facilitators’ field diaries. Results Loneliness was reflected in diverse ways in both groups. Meaningful activities in mutual interaction played an important role in empowering the participants and enabling the development of the group process. Group processes had similar, parallel steps, from which the participants seemed to benefit. Surprisingly, the cognitively impaired group progressed towards self-direction more quickly than the cognitively intact group. Conclusions A group process with clearly progressing steps revealed that lonely older people are capable of empowerment and self-direction – despite their frailty and cognitive impairment. Facilitators should be familiar with group processes to enable them to progress effectively.

DEVELOPING EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUMENTS TO TALK ABOUT LONELINESS

People, professionals and non-professionals, lonely and non-lonely, experience difficulties in talking about loneliness. Yet, talking about loneliness is important. Without conversation about loneliness, it is impossible to identify lonely persons and to assist them in a tailor-made way. The aim of this research project is to create evidence-based instruments to make talking about loneliness easier. From 2016 to 2019 (ongoing) six researchers held about 60-70 interviews with lonely persons, discussing feelings of loneliness and coping behavior. After the first 23 interviews with lonely older adults, a qualitative analysis on how to discuss loneliness was performed, resulting in a format for talking about loneliness and a topic list to help in conversations. These instruments were tested in the remaining interviews with lonely older adults and students, after which the format and topic list were updated. The format for talking about loneliness discusses guidelines for the inter human relationship, how to bring up the topic of loneliness, and what to discuss, e.g. feelings, timing, coping, consequences and taboo. ‘What to discuss’ is also addressed in the topic list. It is important to not be eager to help. Often, lonely people have felt so for a long time and considered many coping options. This illustrates complexity. Trying to ‘solve’ loneliness with oversimplified suggestions makes people feel that their situation is not taken seriously. These instruments emphasize the importance of true listening. The instruments can be used to train professionals and volunteers who want to discuss loneliness with lonely people.

PREVALENCE OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION AMONG PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA AND THEIR CARERS

People with dementia and carers may be vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. The IDEAL study includes two loneliness measures: 6 item de Jong Gierveld (DJG) scale (range 0-6) and a single-item self-report measure and the six-item Lubben social network scale (range 0-30). Full data are available for 1533 people with dementia for self-rated loneliness and for 1455 for the DJG scale and 1232 and 1195 carers respectively. For isolation complete data are available for 1489 people with dementia and 1252 carers. The prevalence of severe loneliness for people with dementia were 10% (self-rated) and 5% (DJG score 5+), approximately the population norm, and 15% and 18% respectively for carers. Most people with dementia or carers did not rate themselves as lonely ((79% and 71%) compared with 65% and 39% using the DJG scale. One third, 35%, of people with dementia were at risk of isolation compared with 18% of carers.

Afraid to leave the house: issues leading to social exclusion and loneliness for people with a learning disability

PurposeTackling social exclusion, which can lead to social isolation and loneliness, is an important current issue. People with a learning disability have a right to be full members of their communities, yet often experience social exclusion. Community connections play a key role in people developing reciprocal relationships. It is therefore important to know the barriers to full inclusion. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThis paper builds on an inclusive research project exploring these issues (Mooney et al., 2019) and aims to place that study’s main findings in a broader academic, policy and practice context.FindingsWhilst there is a wide range of literature about social exclusion, lack of friendships and loneliness experienced by people with a learning disability, there is a gap in knowledge regarding some of the specific social barriers that prevent wider social inclusion, and therefore opportunities to make and keep friends.Originality/valueThis paper relates the findings of an inclusive research project to the current literature. It identifies the social barriers that limit community involvement and draws on the experience of people with a learning disability to find possible ways forward.

Loneliness and Life Satisfaction Explained by Public-Space Use and Mobility Patterns.

Previous research has shown that personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics could influence life satisfaction and loneliness of people and that exposure to public spaces, such as green spaces, may also affect the extent to which people feel lonely or satisfied with life. However, previous studies mainly focused on one of these effects, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the simultaneous effects of these characteristics on loneliness and life satisfaction. This study therefore aims to gain insights into how public-space use mediates the relations between personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics on the one hand and loneliness and life satisfaction on the other hand. Relationships were analyzed using a path analysis approach, based on a sample of 200 residents of three neighborhoods of the Dutch city ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The results showed that the influence of frequency of public-space use on life satisfaction and loneliness is limited. The effects of personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics on frequency of use of public space and on loneliness and life satisfaction were found to be significant. Age and activities of daily living (ADL) are significantly related to each other, and ADL was found to influence recreational and passive space use and loneliness and life satisfaction. Policymakers should, therefore, mainly focus on creating neighborhoods that are highly walkable and accessible, where green spaces and public-transport facilities are present, to promote physical activity among all residents.

Commentary on “Afraid to leave the house: issues leading to social exclusion and loneliness for people with a learning disability”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on, “Afraid to leave the house: issues leading to social exclusion and loneliness for people with a learning disability”.Design/methodology/approachThis paper considers the impacts of cuts to services, support and care that people with learning disabilities experience and the effects these cuts can have on social inclusion and positive social networks. Ways in which these impacts can be overcome are considered.FindingsListening to the voices of people with learning disabilities can provide opportunities for positive change which meet the needs of people with learning disability and society more widely.Originality/valueThe commentary uses evidence to consider the effects of cuts to services on the lives of people with learning disability and to provide possible solutions.

Anxiety-Related Coping Styles, Social Support, and Internet Use Disorder.

Objective: The Internet can offer a seemingly safe haven for those being disappointed by relationships in the “offline world”. Although the Internet can provide lonely people with opportunities to seek for help and support online, complete withdrawal from the offline world comes with costs. It is discussed if people can even become “addicted” to the Internet. Of note, meanwhile, many researchers prefer the term Internet use disorder (IUD) instead of using the term “Internet addiction”. To illustrate the importance of one’s own social network supporting a person in everyday life, we investigated, for the first time to our knowledge, how social resources in terms of quality and quantity might represent a buffer against the development of IUD. Furthermore, anxiety related coping styles are investigated as a further independent variable likely impacting on the development of an IUD. Method: In the present work, N = 567 participants (n = 164 males and n = 403 females; Mage = 23.236; SDage = 8.334) filled in a personality questionnaire assessing individual differences in cognitive avoidant and vigilant anxiety processing, ergo, traits describing individual differences in everyday coping styles/modes. Moreover, all participants provided information on individual differences in tendencies toward IUD, the perceived quality of social support received, and the size of their social network (hence a quantity measure). Results: Participants with larger social networks and higher scores in the received social support reported the lowest tendencies toward IUD in our data. A vigilant coping style was positively correlated with tendencies toward IUD, whereas no robust associations could be observed between a cognitive avoidant coping style and tendencies toward IUD. Hierarchical linear regression underlined an important predictive role of the interaction term of vigilance in ego-threat scenarios and perceived quality of social support. Conclusion: The current study not only yields support for the hypothesis that the size of one’s own social network as well as the perceived quality of social support received in everyday life present putative resilience factors against developing IUD. It also supports the approach that special coping styles are needed to make use of the social support offered.

Oh, look at all the lonely people

Oh, look at all the lonely people

All the lonely people, where do they all belong? An interpretive synthesis of loneliness and social support in older lesbian, gay and bisexual communities

Purpose Loneliness is a phenomenon which affects people globally and constitutes a key social issue of our time. Yet few studies have considered the nature of loneliness and social support for older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people; this is of particular concern as they are among the social groups said to be at greater risk. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Peer-reviewed literature was identified through a search of Scopus, PsycINFO and PubMed. A total of 2,277 papers were retrieved including qualitative and quantitative studies which were quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Findings In total, 11 papers were included in the review and findings were synthesised using thematic analysis. The studies were conducted in five countries worldwide with a combined sample size of 53,332 participants, of whom 4,288 were drawn from among LGB communities. The characteristics and circumstances associated with loneliness including living arrangements, housing tenure, minority stress and geographical proximity. Research limitations/implications The review suggests that among older LGB people, living alone, not being partnered and being childfree may increase the risk of loneliness. This cohort of older people may experience greater difficulties in building relationships of trust and openness. They may also have relied on sources of identity-based social support that are in steep decline. Future research should include implementation studies to evaluate effective strategies in reducing loneliness among older LGB people. Practical implications Reaching older LGB people who are vulnerable due to physical mobility or rural isolation and loneliness because of bereavement or being a carer is a concern. A range of interventions including individual (befriending), group-based (for social contact) in addition to potential benefits from the Internet of Things should be evaluated. Discussions with the VCS suggest that take up of existing provision is 85:15 GB men vs LB women. Social implications Formal social support structures which were provided by voluntary sector agencies have been disproportionately affected by recent austerity measures. Originality/value The authors sought to interrogate the tension between findings of lower levels of social support and discourses of resilient care offered by families of choice.

ARCHITECTURAL EXEMPLIFICATION OF SOCIAL SPACE FOR DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS ON SOCIAL WELFARE

Purpose: The aim of this work is a study of the existing structure of social buildings in the Russian Federation and determination of the main directions of social space development for several generations on social welfare. A number of social problems is discussed as well as the improvement of living conditions of poor people on social welfare due to modernization of the existing social building typology. A new structure of social building development is proposed for several generations on social welfare.Design/methodology/approach: The development of the social space structure for several generations is based on the data collection. Theoretical and practical studies include the existing experience of social buildings formation for younger and older generations as well as the experience of creating living environment for several generations in common. Apart from the analysis of the existing experience, a socio-economic analysis is conducted, which will determine further demands for investigations of the issue.Research findings: It is shown that the problem of interest is underexplored, especially in the Russian Federation. However, the research findings in the field and related fields demonstrate the suppositions of the social space exemplification for several generations on social welfare. The problem of lonely people on social welfare, a lack of unity and understanding between people are the most important problems in the modern society. Thus, from the architectural viewpoint, it is crucial to build a social space for communication and interaction of people in the Russian Federation.Practical implications: The research results will assist in the formation of a new type of social buildings which will be further designed and constructed in the cities of Russia. The structure of social buildings will consist of subtypes depending on the needs discovered. The needs of people who live in a specified area will contribute to the formation of the functional structure. In this lies the potential to create the structure which will lead to the implementation of certain stages in the social buildings construction.Originality/value: It is possible to determine and rationalize basic principles of social space exemplification for several generations. The proposed strategy can be used to create a social space for several generations in cities of Russia. However, the process will be unique for every single area. The basic steps of the social space development are shown for several generations. The detailed analysis will allow using these steps to solve the problems posed. As there is a variety of factors in the social buildings formation which influence the existing stages, it is essential to study them. This will lead to eliciting some stages and modernization, or using just one of the stages, according to a structural scheme of a certain area. Finally, this research is a tool for further strategy development. The research results will help lonely people to find a family and, secondly, become meaningful members of the society. Moreover, it will provide them with comfortable accommodation.

Viewing mechanism of lonely audience: Evidence from an eye movement experiment on barrage video

Media use can be explained by either the deficiency paradigm or the global use paradigm. The former states that people use media to fulfil needs whereas the latter holds that media use is more generic. To examine the validity of these perspectives, we chose to study the needs of lonely people to test these contending claims. An eye tracking experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of lonely viewers using barrage video, with a 2 (audience: lonely vs normal) × 2（appeal: emotional appeal vs rational appeal） × 2 (video type：barrage video vs non-barrage video) mixed design. The results showed that there was a significant loneliness and emotional appeal interaction, participants paid more attention to the barrage area, with longer gaze time and more fixation to barrage area. Taken as a whole, however, results did not lend support to either the deficiency paradigm or the global use paradigm. Instead, results supported the activation and match satisfaction model proposed in this study. Implications are discussed.

How important are holiday trips in preventing loneliness? Evidence for people without and with self-reported moderate and severe disabilities

ABSTRACTThis study analyzes the relationship between holiday trips and loneliness for people without and with self-reported disabilities (differentiating between moderate and severe disabilities limiting their daily activities) in Germany. Since loneliness is not only observed at older ages, we are particularly interested in exploring possible age differences in this relationship. Using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the year 2013 and applying a three-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale, we found that holiday trips contribute to reducing the levels of loneliness reported by all individuals, and that this reduction is even higher for people with self-reported disabilities (males and females) who are severely limited in their daily activities. However, the positive effects of holiday trips on loneliness did differ by age groups. The loneliness scores of people who have limiting disabilities in the 40–64 age group showed the greatest reduction as compared to those reported for people without self-reported disabilities. From a public policy and management perspective, the promotion of full access and participation of people with disabilities as active travellers within the tourism industry must be aimed at reducing their levels of loneliness and increasing their social tourism opportunities and experiences.

People-nearby applications and local communities: Questioning about individuals' loneliness and social motivations toward people-nearby applications.

The present study aims to deepen the relationship between people's loneliness and relational motivations toward people-nearby applications (PNAs) use, within the uses and gratification framework. Indeed, due to the spread of indifference and mistrust toward other citizens, local communities and the relationships within them can leave some individuals' social needs unsatisfied. An online questionnaire, including the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-short version and the Cyber Relationships Motives Scale, was administered to 647 PNAs users (age: M = 26.76; standard deviation = 8.77); hierarchical regressions were performed. Individuals' loneliness associated significantly with the search for love and the desire to meet new people when perceiving offline constraints, but not with the simple desire to meet new people. These results support the idea that PNAs could represent a mean to integrate the aggregation functions of local communities, allowing to find new people to meet nearby regardless of the constraints actually perceived. Being social relationships critical for individuals' well-being, understanding the unsatisfied individual needs underlying PNAs social uses and how these apps could be used within local communities could help in integrating people within their local communities and neighbourhoods again, fostering their well-being too.

Social networks and loneliness in people with Alzheimer's dementia.

Modifiable lifestyle risk factors are of great interest in the prevention and management of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Loneliness and social networks may influence onset of AD, but little is known about this relationship in people with AD. The current study aimed to explore the relationship between loneliness and social networks (social measures) and cognitive and psychopathology decline (AD outcomes) in people with AD. Ninety-three participants with mild to moderate AD were recruited from memory clinics, in a cross-sectional study. Social networks (measured by the Lubben Social Network Scale-6), feelings of loneliness (measured by De Jong Loneliness Scale), cognition (measured by the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination), and psychopathology (measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory) were assessed in an interview setting. Two multiple regressions with bootstrap were conducted on cognition and psychopathology as outcome variables. Family and friends subsets of social networks and loneliness were entered as predictors and age, gender, and depression as covariates. The friendship subset of social networks was significantly related to cognition (independent of age, gender, depression, loneliness, and family subset of social network): B=0.284, P=0.01. Neither loneliness nor social networks predicted psychopathology (Ps>0.05). Maintaining or developing a close friendship network could be beneficial for cognition in people with AD. Alternatively, greater dementia severity may lead to fewer friends. More research on the direction of this relationship in people with AD is needed.