Blekinge Institute of Technology, Karlskrona, Sweden.
Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
J Prim Care Community Health. 2023 Jan-Dec;14:21501319231198644. doi: 10.1177/21501319231198644.
Loneliness is described as a public health problem and can be both a consequence of aging and a cause of ill health. Lonely older adults tend to have difficulties making new social connections, essential in reducing loneliness. Loneliness often varies over time, but established loneliness tends to persist. Maintaining good health is fundamental throughout the life course. Social connections change with aging, which can contribute to loneliness.
This study aimed to investigate loneliness in relation to social factors and self-reported health among older adults.
A cross-sectional research design was used based on data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, Blekinge (SNAC-B), from February 2019 to April 2021. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive and inferential analysis.
Of n = 394 participants, 31.7% (n = 125) stated loneliness. Close emotional connections were necessary for less loneliness. Loneliness was more common among those who did not live with their spouse or partner and met more rarely. Furthermore, seeing grandchildren and neighbors less often increased loneliness, and a more extensive social network decreased loneliness.
This study underlined the importance of social connections and having someone to share a close, emotional connection with to reduce loneliness.
孤独被描述为一个公共卫生问题，它既是衰老的结果，也是健康状况不佳的原因。孤独的老年人往往难以建立新的社交关系，而这对于减轻孤独感至关重要。孤独感往往随时间而变化，但已确立的孤独感往往会持续存在。保持良好的健康状况是整个生命周期的基础。随着年龄的增长，社交关系会发生变化，这可能导致孤独感的产生。
本研究旨在调查老年人的孤独感与社会因素和自我报告的健康状况之间的关系。
本研究采用了横断面研究设计，数据来自于 2019 年 2 月至 2021 年 4 月期间的瑞典老龄化和护理全国研究（SNAC-B）。统计分析包括描述性分析和推断性分析。
在 394 名参与者中，31.7%（n=125）表示孤独。与配偶或伴侣生活在一起、见面更频繁、与孙辈和邻居见面更频繁以及拥有更广泛的社交网络与孤独感呈负相关。
本研究强调了社交关系和与他人建立亲密、情感联系的重要性，这有助于减轻孤独感。
