TY - JOUR
T1 - Cross-national differences in older adult loneliness
AU - Fokkema, C.M.
AU - de Jong Gierveld, J.
AU - Dykstra, P.A.
N1 - Reporting year: 2012
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Loneliness concerns the subjective evaluation that the number of relationships
is smaller than the individual considers desirable or that the intimacy that the individual
wishes for has not been realized. The aim of this study was to assess variations in levels
of late-life loneliness and its determinants across Europe. Data came from the SHARE
surveys, Wave 2 (B¨orsch-Supan et al., 2008), encompassing adults aged 50 years and over in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland (N = 12,248). Loneliness was measured by a single item derived from the CES-D (depression) scale. Using logistic models, the present authors tested several types of explanations for country differences: differences in demographic characteristics, wealth and health, and social networks. Older adults in the southern and central European countries were generally lonelier than their peers in the northern and western European countries. In the southern and central European countries, loneliness was largely attributable to not being married, economic deprivation, and poor health. Frequent contacts with parents and adult children, social participation, and providing support to family members were important in preventing and alleviating loneliness in almost all countries. To combat loneliness among older adults, the findings suggest both (a) generic approaches aimed at improving social embeddedness and (b) country-tailored approaches aimed at improving health and wealth.
Keywords: Europe, health, loneliness, social network, wealth
AB - Loneliness concerns the subjective evaluation that the number of relationships
is smaller than the individual considers desirable or that the intimacy that the individual
wishes for has not been realized. The aim of this study was to assess variations in levels
of late-life loneliness and its determinants across Europe. Data came from the SHARE
surveys, Wave 2 (B¨orsch-Supan et al., 2008), encompassing adults aged 50 years and over in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland (N = 12,248). Loneliness was measured by a single item derived from the CES-D (depression) scale. Using logistic models, the present authors tested several types of explanations for country differences: differences in demographic characteristics, wealth and health, and social networks. Older adults in the southern and central European countries were generally lonelier than their peers in the northern and western European countries. In the southern and central European countries, loneliness was largely attributable to not being married, economic deprivation, and poor health. Frequent contacts with parents and adult children, social participation, and providing support to family members were important in preventing and alleviating loneliness in almost all countries. To combat loneliness among older adults, the findings suggest both (a) generic approaches aimed at improving social embeddedness and (b) country-tailored approaches aimed at improving health and wealth.
Keywords: Europe, health, loneliness, social network, wealth
U2 - 10.1080/00223980.2011.631612
DO - 10.1080/00223980.2011.631612
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-3980
VL - 146
SP - 201
EP - 228
JO - The Journal of Psychology
JF - The Journal of Psychology
IS - 1-2
ER -