Abstract
In recent years, loneliness has been receiving increasing attention, yet there remains a lot to learn about how older adults cope with loneliness. In this study, the practices older adults consider for coping with loneliness and the relationship between various types of coping practices, loneliness, and personal resources are examined. Several hypotheses about the relationship between social and emotional loneliness, personal resources, and mentioning coping practices are formulated. Data was collected in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain) through structured interviews using a telephone survey among a representative sample of older adults aged 55 and over (N = 894). Results show that lonely and non-lonely respondents alike consider a few coping practices and prefer active and individual coping practices over social and passive ones for coping with loneliness. Experiencing emotional loneliness is related to mentioning more individual and active coping practices. Social coping practices were considered less often by respondents who experienced better self-rated health and more often by respondents with vision loss, a higher educational level and higher quality of life. In conclusion, while older adults differ in coping efforts they mention, these differences are only explained to a small extent by their experience of loneliness and available resources. For future research and practice development, a deeper understanding of the process of coping with loneliness is needed.
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Acknowledgements
This paper is linked to the research project Bakardadeak, funded by the call 2018 from the Adinberri Program of the Department of Economic Development, Rural Environment and Territorial Balance, and the Department of Social Policies of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa. Thanks are also due to the Bakardadeak project team as well as the researchers who collaborated in the construction of the questionnaire, providing valuable contributions, i.e., Professor Victoria Zunzunegui, Emeritus Professor Gerdt Sundström, and Professor Maria Angeles Tortosa and researchers who developed the BBC Loneliness Experiment from University of Manchester, Brunel University, and the University of Exeter. This manuscript was elaborated during a research stay in Fontys University of Applied Sciences, linked to the Social and Behavioral Sciences Young Researcher Award 2017-2018 by the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology. The authors are grateful for the support received.
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Marsillas, S., Schoenmakers, E. Older adults’ mentioned practices for coping with loneliness. Eur J Ageing 19, 753–762 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-021-00658-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-021-00658-y