Factors Associated with Loneliness among Institutionalized and Community Dwelling Elders | ||||
Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal | ||||
Volume 17, Issue 2, December 2015, Page 37-50 PDF (181.81 K) | ||||
Document Type: Research articles | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/asalexu.2015.208771 | ||||
![]() | ||||
Authors | ||||
Tarek Mohammed Ahmed1; Hanaa Shafik Ibrahim2; Nadia Mohammed Hassan1 | ||||
1Gerontological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University | ||||
2Gerontological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Satisfying social relationships are vital for elder's mental and physical health. Deficits in the quality of these social relationships can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness in elders. Objective: To identify factors associated with loneliness among institutionalized and community dwelling elders. Settings: The study was carried out in all governmental elderly homes in Dakahlia Governorate and two outpatient clinics affiliated to Mansoura General Hospital and the Specialized Medical Hospital. Subjects: 151 elderly persons were included in the study (61 elders from elderly homes and 90 from outpatient clinics. Tools: five tools were used: Mini-Mental State Examination, Socio-demographic structured Interview Schedule Sheet, Barthel Index Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: The main factors associated with loneliness among institutionalized elders were sex, level of education, occupation before retirement, health perception, and presence of depression. While, marital status, occupation before retirement, income, health perception, and presence of depression were the factors associated with loneliness among community dwelling elders. Conclusion: Loneliness is prevailing among institutionalized elders than community dwelling elders. The main factors associated with loneliness for both groups were elders' occupation before retirement, their perception of health and presence of depression. Recommendations: Increase elders' awareness about their health, and encourage their participation in volunteer and recreational activities. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Loneliness; Elders; Institutionalization; Community dwelling | ||||
Statistics Article View: 139 PDF Download: 344 |
||||