Loneliness and Mental Health in a Representative Sample of Community-Dwelling Spanish Older Adults

Research seems to support loneliness as a risk factor for mental health problems in the elderly. Most studies analyzing the effects of loneliness on older adults' mental health have relied on convenience samples. In this study, the prevalence and predictors of feelings of loneliness were studie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of psychology 2012-05, Vol.146 (3), p.277-292
Main Authors: Losada, Andrés, Márquez-González, María, García-Ortiz, Luis, Gómez-Marcos, Manuel Angel, Fernández-Fernández, Virginia, Rodríguez-Sánchez, Emiliano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Ageing
aging
Aging - ethnology
Aging - psychology
Community living
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - ethnology
Depression - psychology
Economic resources
Elderly people
Emotions
Family - psychology
Female
Friends - psychology
Health policy
Humans
Interview, Psychological
Loneliness
Loneliness - psychology
Male
Members of the lower chamber
Mental health
Old age
Older people
Prevalence
Psychiatric disorders
representative
Risk
Risk factors
Sex Factors
Social Alienation
Social Isolation
Socioeconomic Factors
Somatoform Disorders - diagnosis
Somatoform Disorders - ethnology
Somatoform Disorders - psychology
Spain
Women
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Summary:Research seems to support loneliness as a risk factor for mental health problems in the elderly. Most studies analyzing the effects of loneliness on older adults' mental health have relied on convenience samples. In this study, the prevalence and predictors of feelings of loneliness were studied in a representative sample of 272 community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The potential of feelings of loneliness to significantly contribute to the explanation of mental health of the elderly was also explored. The percentage of people reporting feelings of loneliness was 23.1%. Being a woman, being older, living alone, having fewer economic resources, having lower perceived health, and being dissatisfied with the frequency of contact with relatives and friends were found to be significant predictors of feelings of loneliness. Loneliness contributed significantly to the explanation of mental health, even when other significant variables were statistically controlled. The results of this study suggest that loneliness is a relevant factor for the analysis and understanding of mental health in the elderly.
ISSN:0022-3980
1940-1019
DOI:10.1080/00223980.2011.582523