a Department of Psychology , University of Nigeria , Nsukka , Nigeria.
b Department of Psychological Services , Medical Centre, University of Nigeria , Nsukka , Nigeria.
Psychol Health Med. 2017 Apr;22(4):501-506. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2016.1173711. Epub 2016 Apr 11.
Although research evidence indicates that loneliness is detrimental to mental health in diverse populations, impact of loneliness on psychological distress of orthopaedic patients' caregivers has been given little research attention. The present study examined the association of loneliness with psychological health, and explored gender differences in the loneliness and psychological health association among orthopaedic patients' caregivers. Participants were 250 patients' caregivers drawn from a national orthopaedic hospital in eastern Nigeria. Data was collected by means of self-report measures translated into the local dialect of the caregivers. Multiple regression results showed that loneliness positively predicted psychological distress in the total sample. Loneliness did not predict psychological distress of male caregivers, but it positively predicted psychological distress of female caregivers. In order to promote orthopaedic patients caregivers' mental health, gender-based differentials in the link between loneliness and psychological distress should be addressed by researchers and healthcare practitioners.
虽然研究证据表明孤独对不同人群的心理健康有害，但孤独对骨科患者照顾者心理困扰的影响却很少受到关注。本研究考察了孤独与心理健康之间的关系，并探讨了骨科患者照顾者中孤独与心理健康关系的性别差异。参与者是从尼日利亚东部一家全国性骨科医院抽取的 250 名患者照顾者。数据通过翻译成照顾者当地方言的自我报告措施收集。多元回归结果表明，孤独感正向预测总样本的心理困扰。孤独感不能预测男性照顾者的心理困扰，但它正向预测女性照顾者的心理困扰。为了促进骨科患者照顾者的心理健康，研究人员和医疗保健从业者应该关注孤独感与心理困扰之间的联系中的性别差异。
