Subjective Loneliness Research Articles

Loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between loneliness in elderly people with the use of psychotropic drugs. Methods A subsample of 3111 participants (ages 55–85) of the large population-based German ESTHER study was included in the study. Loneliness was measured by using a three-item questionnaire. Two subgroups were defined according to their degrees of loneliness. Psychotropic drugs were categorized by study doctors. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between loneliness subgroups and the use of psychotropic drugs adjusted for psychosocial variables, multimorbidity, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. Results Of the participants 14.1% (95%-CI = [12.9; 15.4]) were estimated to have a high degree of loneliness (women > men); 19% (95%-CI = [17.6; 20.4]) of the participants used psychotropic drugs, 8.4% (95%-CI = [7.5; 9.5]) antidepressants. Logistic regression analysis showed that more lonely participants had significantly higher odds for using psychotropic drugs (OR: 1.495; 95%-CI = [1.121; 1.993]). Depression severity, somatic symptom severity, and female gender were also positively associated with the use of psychotropic drugs. Conclusion A high degree of subjective loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs, even after adjustment for somatic and psychological comorbidities and psychosocial variables. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between loneliness in elderly people with the use of psychotropic drugs. A subsample of 3111 participants (ages 55-85) of the large population-based German ESTHER study was included in the study. Loneliness was measured by using a three-item questionnaire. Two subgroups were defined according to their degrees of loneliness. Psychotropic drugs were categorized by study doctors. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between loneliness subgroups and the use of psychotropic drugs adjusted for psychosocial variables, multimorbidity, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. Of the participants 14.1% (95%-CI = [12.9; 15.4]) were estimated to have a high degree of loneliness (women > men); 19% (95%-CI = [17.6; 20.4]) of the participants used psychotropic drugs, 8.4% (95%-CI = [7.5; 9.5]) antidepressants. Logistic regression analysis showed that more lonely participants had significantly higher odds for using psychotropic drugs (OR: 1.495; 95%-CI = [1.121; 1.993]). Depression severity, somatic symptom severity, and female gender were also positively associated with the use of psychotropic drugs. A high degree of subjective loneliness in the elderly is associated with the use of psychotropic drugs, even after adjustment for somatic and psychological comorbidities and psychosocial variables.

Dimensionality of self-compassion: translation and construct validation of the self-compassion scale in an Italian sample

Background: The construct of self-compassion is receiving increased attention due to its strong link to mental health. Nonetheless, many questions concerning its dimensionality and construct validity remain open.Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factorial structure and construct validity of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) in a sample of 424 Italian participants ranging in age from 17 to 65 years.Method: SCS was translated with a back-translation procedure and then administered through an on-line survey, along with measures of self-blame, subjective loneliness, emotion regulation, depression and anxiety.Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the six-factor model both in the overall sample and in gender and age subgroups. CFA did not support the single higher-order factor of self-compassion, originally found by the author of the scale. Negative associations of Self-Kindness, Common Humanity and Mindfulness subscales with anxiety and depression were confirmed. Moreover, negative correlations of these subscales with self-blame, positive correlations with reappraisal and non-significant associations with expressive suppression and subjective loneliness were found, unveiling aspects of the construct not fully investigated in empirical research.Conclusions: Findings suggest that the SCS is a reliable tool but its dimensionality may vary according to different cultural contexts.

Loneliness, Health, and Longevity

Objective measures of loneliness and poor social contacts are associated with negative health outcomes. However, the influence of subjective loneliness among elderly persons is poorly documented. We hypothesized that loneliness among persons aged 70-90 years is associated with subsequent decline in health, function, and longevity. Mortality data for subjects aged 70-90 years were obtained; subjective loneliness, health, comorbidity, depression, and functional status were assessed through the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study (1990-2010), a prospective longitudinal study. A representative sample of 407, 661, and 1,113 participants born 1920-1921 were assessed at home at ages 70, 78, and 85, respectively. Participants were asked how often they felt lonely, with answers dichotomized to never versus rarely/often/very often. In the age group of 70, 78, and 85, we excluded 67, 141, and 408 depressed participants from the study sample, which, thus, comprised 340, 520, and 705 participants, respectively. At age 70, 78, and 85, prevalence of loneliness was 27.9% (n = 95), 23.8% (n = 124), and 24% (n = 169), respectively. The only factor consistently associated at all ages with increased likelihood of loneliness was not being married. After adjusting for baseline variables, we found no association between loneliness and subsequent deterioration 7 years later in functional status, mood, cognition, chronic pain, or rising comorbidity between ages 70 and 78 or 78 and 85. Loneliness was not associated with mortality among the participants aged 70-78, 78-85, and 85-90. We repeated all data analysis, without excluding depressed participants, without any change in overall findings. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that subjective loneliness is associated with increased morbidity or mortality from age 70 to 90.

САМОТНІСТЬ У ПІДЛІТКОВОМУ ВІЦІ ЯК СОЦІАЛЬНО-ПСИХОЛОГІЧНА ПРОБЛЕМА

The analysis of the research ?ndings of the contemporary Russian and Ukrainian authors shows that there is no consensus in interpreting the nature of loneliness, its origin, speci?c aspects of manifestation in the publications of foreign and native scholars. This allows to outline the problem ?eld of the investigation of loneliness as a social and psychological phenomenon. A teenager acquires social experience in the course of establishing various social relations. The development of individualization, weakening of relationships with the primary group, intensi?cation of the social mobility within a society and the general instability provoke the growth of the subjective loneliness. The number of teenagers suffering from subjective loneliness grows in the contemporary society. This feeling, as a rule, leads to deviations in behavior and brings about such dangerous consequences as depression, abuse of drugs and alcohol, gambling addiction and even suicide attempts. Thus, loneliness results in serious problems. Parental neglect and lack of parental support seem to be the main reasons which stimulate the feelings of loneliness in teenagers. Positive feedback in the families where teenagers experience the lack of parental support is very weak and inadequate, which cause the stagnation of the subsequent socialization of teenagers.

The Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly-Screening (HHIE-S) versus a single question: reliability, validity, and relations with quality of life measures in the elderly community, Japan

Little is known about the usefulness of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening (HHIE-S) and a single question (SQ) in assessing hearing impairment (HI) and the impact of HI on quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and associations with QOL measures (i.e., subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, subjective loneliness, and physical functioning) of the HHIE-S and the SQ in the elderly community. A self-report questionnaire including HHIE-S, SQ, Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence was administered to community elderly (781 males and 950 females). Among them, 97 males and 100 females also responded voluntarily to a request for test-retest and auditory tests. The criterion validity was tested by using pure-tone averages. Regarding the reliability of HHIE-S, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.91, Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.90, and intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.85. Regarding the test-retest reliability of SQ, kappa coefficient was 0.65. HHIE-S had significantly lower sensitivity in identifying >25-dB HI, but significantly higher specificity for the detection of >40-dB HI than SQ. HHIE-S had stronger associations with QOL measures than did SQ. HHIE-S had high reliability, while SQ had insufficient reliability. HHIE-S was more specific in detecting HI and more sensitive in assessing the impact of HI on QOL than SQ. HHIE-S is a more effective instrument for assessing HI and QOL research than SQ in the elderly community.

ADL capacity and loneliness among elderly persons with cognitive impairment.

Advancing age brings a natural weakening of functions, making the individual rely more on support from the community and next-of-kin. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in relation to subjective loneliness, the ADL dependence of elderly persons with and without impaired cognitive capacity. 264 persons were interviewed. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used as a screening instrument for obtaining a cognitively-impaired and a normal group of elderly. Persons with impaired cognitive capacity who experienced loneliness had the greatest ADL dependence.

Social Contact, Loneliness, and Mass Media Use: A Test of Two Hypotheses1

The possible connections between social variables such as frequency of social activity and subjective loneliness on the one hand, and extent of mass media use on the other, have received relatively little empirical attention. In this investigation, two related hypotheses concerning such links are proposed. The compensation hypothesis holds that persons with little social contact or greater loneliness will be more likely to utilize mass media to compensate for social impoverishment. The buffering hypothesis more specifically predicts that such compensation is effective; that is, persons “at risk” for loneliness because of diminished social contact may be at least partially protected from subjective loneliness due to heavy use of mass media. The hypotheses were tested in two samples: college students and a group of adolescent males attending a summer camp. Little support was found for the compensation hypothesis. While limited support was found for the buffering hypothesis, analyses also revealed an unexpected opposite effect; for the music variable, heavy media use actually intensified the association between social deficits and subjective loneliness. Some limitations of this study are discussed, and issues related to the unexpected “intensification” effects are presented.

Empathy and the experiencing of loneliness.

The subjects were 39 students of psychology (5 men and 34 women). Empathy was measured by the modified Mehrabian and Epstein emotional empathy scale and loneliness by open-ended questions. Scores on empathy correlated slightly and positively with loneliness which was experienced positively and correlated negatively with loneliness when experienced negatively. Objective loneliness is not necessarily subjective loneliness. When evaluating loneliness the subjective personal view has the greatest value. The data are too limited to allow broader generalizations.