University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA.
J Women Aging. 2024 Mar-Apr;36(2):166-179. doi: 10.1080/08952841.2023.2282025. Epub 2023 Nov 22.
COVID-19 was concerning for older adults because they faced greater health risks from the virus and generally experience higher rates of isolation and loneliness. Single older adults are of particular concern because they also lack a cohabiting partner for social connection, so they may face greater levels of loneliness. Many older adults have been using technology to develop and maintain social connections, including romantic connections, to mitigate these feelings of loneliness and isolation. This research explores how feelings of loneliness connect to use of online dating sites during a pandemic, how older adults decided to and rationalized dating at a time when meeting in-person and social interactions were discouraged and dangerous, and how experiences differed between men and women. I interviewed 50 men and 50 women, ages 60-83, about their experiences seeking partners and dating during the pandemic. All respondents were single, heterosexual, and recruited from online dating websites, but varied by race, education level, marital experience, employment status, and geographic location. Single older adults relied on feelings of loneliness and isolation, the ubiquity of online dating sites, and particularly for women, adherence to safety measures while on a date as motivation for seeking and meeting romantic partners during a pandemic. Single older adults seeking new romantic interactions during a pandemic, when health risks were greater, illustrates the importance of intimate relationships even into older age and how loneliness and isolation are powerful drivers in seeking romantic relationships.
COVID-19 令老年人感到担忧，因为他们面临更大的健康风险，而且普遍存在更高的隔离和孤独感。单身老年人尤其令人担忧，因为他们缺乏同居伴侣来建立社交关系，因此可能面临更高程度的孤独感。许多老年人一直在利用技术来发展和维持社交关系，包括浪漫关系，以减轻这些孤独和隔离感。本研究探讨了在大流行期间，孤独感如何与使用在线约会网站联系起来，老年人如何在不鼓励和危险的面对面和社交互动的情况下决定并合理化约会，以及男性和女性之间的体验有何不同。我采访了 50 名年龄在 60-83 岁的男性和 50 名女性，了解他们在大流行期间寻找伴侣和约会的经历。所有受访者都是单身、异性恋，都是从在线约会网站招募的，但他们的种族、教育水平、婚姻经历、就业状况和地理位置各不相同。单身老年人依赖孤独感和隔离感、在线约会网站的普及，尤其是对于女性来说，在约会时遵守安全措施，作为在大流行期间寻找和结识浪漫伴侣的动机。单身老年人在健康风险更大的情况下寻求新的浪漫互动，这说明了亲密关系在老年时期的重要性，以及孤独感和隔离感是寻求浪漫关系的强大驱动力。
