Eshbaugh Elaine M
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, 241 Latham Hall, IA 50614-0332, USA.
J Gerontol Nurs. 2009 May;35(5):13-6. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20090331-03.
This study examines the role of friends in predicting loneliness among 53 women age 65 and older who live alone. It was hypothesized that friends would be more important in predicting loneliness for those participants who did not have family living in close proximity than for those who had family nearby. However, this was not the case: Self-reported close friends were important for women living alone, regardless of whether they had family living locally. Nurses may want to use these findings to encourage older women to make social connections, even if they live close to their family.
本研究调查了朋友在预测53名65岁及以上独居女性孤独感方面所起的作用。研究假设，对于那些没有家人住在附近的参与者来说，朋友在预测孤独感方面比那些有家人在附近的参与者更为重要。然而，情况并非如此：自我报告的亲密朋友对独居女性很重要，无论她们是否有家人住在当地。护士们或许可以利用这些研究结果鼓励老年女性建立社交联系，即使她们与家人住得很近。
