Loneness in the Older Adult Population
Introduction
There has been a considerable amount of inquiry which has associated loneliness to depression, low self-esteem, and physical illness (Hawley & Cacioppo, 2007; Sorkin, Rook, & Lu, 2002). Loneliness can also be detrimental to health as well as overall well-being later in life due to recent evidence implying that it accelerates physiological deterioration and advancement of chronic diseases in the elderly (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2007).
The main points the article seeks to evaluate is (1) if emotional loneliness and social loneliness in later life is multidimensional; (2) if positive and negative social exchanges are associated with either emotional loneliness or social loneliness; and (3) if social exchange relates to emotional loneliness and social loneliness as compared to formerly married older individuals.
Methods
The study population was from the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges which was a five-wave, 2 year longitudinal study being non-institutionalized with English-speaking older adults who resided in the United States. The sampling frame came from the Medicare Beneficiary Eligibility List of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services consisting of information on nearly all older adults in the United States. Interviews began in 2000; wave 1 data collected 916 sample of older adults ranging from 65 to 91 years of age (M=74.13, SD=6.63). Of the total participants, 62 percent represented females; 83 percent were Caucasian; 54 percent were married or in marriage-like relationship, 34 percent were widowed, and the rest were separated or divorced being 8 percent and 4 percent were never married. All study participants closely resembled the older American population bas...
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The first influential factor to the atrophy of social life that Eitzen writes about is moving away. Americans nowadays are always on the go – if moving is the most convenient idea, they will move with no regard to formed relationships that will soon be broken. People are often forced to move in order to follow a job or because of problems within the family. Constantly moving about causes a decline in intimate relationships. This is also true in people who live alone. The lack of regular and reliable social interaction can lead to a less sociable personality and less motivation to form real relationships. Real relationships are what lead to a healthy social life.
Aging is universal and it is a process that everyone has to go through. The only difference is that everyone goes through this process at their own pace influenced by factors that will be discussed later on in this paper. When we think about factors that have an influence on older adults and how their life may be affected, we must consider the different social institutions while analyzing influences from social factors, cultural factors, and personal values. Abuse to older adults, stereotyping and informal care and technological advancements that affect older adults are the three topics that will be discussed in this reflection. Furthermore, will connect the three topics I have chosen to the knowledge that I have gained from my interaction
Atchley, R. C. (1997). Social forces and aging: An introduction to social gerontology (8th ed.).
Aging has become a worldwide issue as attentions to health status of older populations increase. As people age, they face different situations that lead them to the current point, satisfaction and health or vise versa. Researchers have conducted and identified various reasons affecting the health of elders. For example, childlessness, marital status, unemployment, and poor social integration are all recognized risk factors that influence the quality of life of older populations. Childlessness has raised a great concern since 1990, as one in every five elders aged over 65 report not having children (Zhang & Hayward, 2001). Another research has also argued, due to the high prevalence of delayed marriage, high divorce rates, and voluntary childlessness nowadays, numbers of childless elders are expected to increase over the next few decades (Zhang & Hayward, 2001). Zhang and Hayward (2001) also state that around 25% of older populations suffering from loneliness due to spouseless and childlessness in the near future is anticipated (Zhang & Hayward, 2001). Family, the basic component of one’s life, has always been considered as the primary source of well-being among older persons as it provides informal cares such as physical, emotional, and financial supports (Zhang & Hayward, 2001). In addition, presence of children or children in-law correlates with a better understanding and experiences of security, immortality, success, companionship, and affection among the elderly parents compared to older persons without children. Childless elders are often found to have limited social networks and passive engagement in social activities (Zhang & Hayward, 2001). However, effects of childlessness among older population are inconsis...
More specifically, the transitions associated with later life like retirement, medical problems, death of a loved ones, reduced social networks leads to depression in aging population (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009). It is seen that depression is one of the most common mental disorder among adults aged 65 and older (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).Depression is associated with anxiety and suffering that can lead to physical, mental, and social impairments. The presence of depressive disorders often negatively impact the course and complicates the treatment of other chronic diseases too (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).According to National Alliance of Mental Illness there are more than two million of the 40 million Americans age 65 and older who suffer from some form of depression (National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 2009).
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
“Social” networks and loneliness are two very unlike things to be discussed simultaneously... The two are complete opposite of one another: “social” is associated to relating to one’s society, loneliness can be defined as “a complex and unpleasant emotional response to a feeling of isolation” (Ye and Lin 166). While loneliness can mean solitude, it also includes feelings of isolation and disconnection to other people (Ye and Lin 166). John Cacioppo is labeled as the world’s leading expert on loneliness. He proposed a thought provoking analogy: a car can be used to pick up friends, but one chooses to ride alone. Did the car make the person lonely? (Marche 68). Absolutely not. The car is simply a tool in the person’s everyday life. This relates
It is common knowledge in the present time that as we age we should strive to keep our body and mind active; however, recent research shows that it is also very important to remain socially active as well. Isolation and loneliness are an ever increasing reality for older adults as they lose friends and family either to illness or by simply drifting apart. Other difficulties such as hearing loss and increased fatigue make it more difficult to get around as easily as it may have been in youth which can also lead to isolation. Many elderly people live alone, and this time spent in isolation may jeopardize their well-being. In fact, Loneliness has been identified as a primary mental health problem affecting seniors (Pettigrew). This literature review will explore some of the most current research findings which support the idea that staying socially active has many positive influences on the elder population.
Hooyman, N. R., & Kiyak, H. A. (2005). Social Gerontology A multidisciplinary Perspective. Pearson Education, Inc.
Loneliness creates an uncomfortable feeling in most people. The lack of a social presence seems to have a noticeable effect since it creates a personal void. This could explain why people turn to their phones when they have no one to talk to; they end up talking to people via text in order to fill up such a void. It is interesting to see how “nothing” can have such an effect on people. Fortunately, loneliness is a form of perceived isolation and is only temporary for most. However, for those who experience chronic isolation, a lack of connection with others can lead to detrimental effects. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates how being alone can lead to insanity. Part of being human is communicating with others. Thus, taking away something as simple as interaction can lead to a number of negative consequences, both physically and mentally.
AKIYAMA, Horoko; ANTONUCCI, Toni; TAKAHASHI, Keiko; LANGFORD, Elizabeth, `Negative Interactions in Close Relationships Across the Life Span' 1995
For example being widowed, stopping driving due to age may cause physical isolation, friendships ending due to death or ill health; this can be very difficult for those who previously enjoyed close ties with friend. People whose first language is not English, lower socioeconomic groups and neighborhood changes all of these amongst many other circumstance may bring about difficulties causing social isolation. Yet isolation alone is not necessarily the cause of loneliness, it is the quality of the relationship and connections people make that wards off loneliness (Ageuk, n.d). In other respects however; taking into account this age bracket includes people from the age of fifty five, the factors mentioned above should not be quite as prevalent in their lives as it in those venturing towards final stages of old age. In the report Loneliness, relative deprivation and life satisfaction, the Institute for Physical Studies (n.d) found a correlation between wealth, friendships, loneliness and life satisfaction for people around the age of fifty five. It could be suggested that modern lifestyle and aspirations for retirement leading up to middle age pave the way to this sweeping loneliness in the younger stages of this age bracket. Cooper (2015) indicates this possibility (in Lally, (2015) when discussing the transient nature of people’s lifestyles in modern
While being social has many benefits to the health of a person, it can have a negative effect if there is any financial stress, increased burdens, or ailing family member or partner (Annear et al., 2012). Caring for others as an elderly person can have both negative and positive effects while providing companionship and a sense of purpose, it can also make the elderly carers life more stressful and can sometimes make the carer feel emotionally isolated (Annear et al., 2012). Joining social groups will get encourage participation and interaction with other members of their social group; this will help in minimising the potential for social isolation and detachment. Barriers to having an active social health are living in rural or remote areas, long distances to services and social networks. It is important for elderly people to feel they still have some form of connection with their friends and family and feel that are still connect to
Arnett, Jeffrey J. “Loneliness.” Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. (2006): 477-479. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.