Loneliness Among the Elderly: a Mini Review

Loneliness is understood as a painful negative emotion. Since its introduction into the psychiatric literature in 1959, the understanding of loneliness has improved considerably, and is now understood to be a distinct entity to such issues as social isolation, solitude, and depression. However, there is still a lack of consensus on the general definition of loneliness. Similarly, different dimensions of loneliness have been described in the literature. It is understood in terms of either transient versus situational versus chronic loneliness; state versus trait loneliness; and the concept of unidimensional versus multidimensional loneliness. The reported prevalence of loneliness varies considerably in the literature, with evidence from metanalysis suggesting the prevalence of moderate loneliness that ranges from 31 to 100% with a mean of 61%, and that of severe loneliness ranging from 9 to 81%, with a mean prevalence of 35% among the elderly. Loneliness among the elderly is associated with significant adverse mental and physical health outcomes in the form of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, depression, anxiety, dementia, and even problematic internet use. Over the years, different instruments [University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS), De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, Single-Item direct measure of loneliness] have been designed to assess loneliness among the elderly. Some of the interventions suggest that persons experiencing loneliness could benefit from improved social skills, enhanced social support, increased opportunities for social contact, and addressing maladaptive social cognition.