Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway.
J Adv Nurs. 2013 Feb;69(2):394-403. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06018.x. Epub 2012 Apr 24.
The aim of this study is to explore older people's approaches to living a life characterized by losses and 'aloneness' and how this relates to loneliness.
Loneliness is closely related to social status and health condition. Older people are vulnerable to experiences of loneliness due to losses, which follow the ageing process.
A qualitative interpretative design was used. Older people, aged 65 and above, living at home, in retirement villages, or in long-term care settings in Australia, Norway, and UK participated. Seventy-eight persons were included. Data were collected through open-ended interviews during autumn of 2006 and spring of 2007. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed, and analysed applying a hermeneutic, interpretative process.
Analyses revealed great differences in the way participants handled their life situation. Interviewees describing themselves as 'not lonely' viewed losses as normal, and they participated in meaningful activities, connected to other people and thrived in their own company. Those describing themselves as 'lonely' on the other hand, strove to create meaning in their lives, were overwhelmed by losses, had problems finding meaningful activities and difficulty keeping up social relations.
Loneliness was associated with overwhelming losses, inactivity, meaninglessness, and social isolation. The contrasting findings between 'not lonely' and 'lonely' older people have implications for nursing in that nurses must seek to identify those who need help in managing their loneliness and give guidance and support. More research is needed to develop interventions that are effective in reducing loneliness.
本研究旨在探讨老年人应对以失去和“孤独”为特征的生活的方法，以及这与孤独感的关系。
孤独感与社会地位和健康状况密切相关。老年人由于衰老过程中所经历的丧失，容易产生孤独感。
采用定性解释设计。参与者为年龄在 65 岁及以上、居住在澳大利亚、挪威和英国的家中、退休村或长期护理机构的老年人。共纳入 78 人。数据通过 2006 年秋季和 2007 年春季的开放式访谈收集。访谈进行了录音、转录，并采用解释学的解释过程进行分析。
分析显示，参与者处理生活状况的方式存在很大差异。那些描述自己“不孤独”的受访者认为失去是正常的，他们参与有意义的活动，与他人保持联系，并在自己的陪伴下茁壮成长。另一方面，那些描述自己“孤独”的人则努力在生活中创造意义，他们被失去所淹没，难以找到有意义的活动，也难以维持社交关系。
孤独感与压倒性的失去、不活跃、无意义和社会隔离有关。“不孤独”和“孤独”的老年人的对比发现对护理具有启示意义，因为护士必须努力识别那些需要帮助管理孤独感的人，并给予指导和支持。需要进一步研究以开发有效的干预措施来减少孤独感。
