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Africa
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Introduction
Published in Stephen Buetow, From Loneliness to Solitude in Person-centred Health Care, 2023
Rather than empower persons to transmute loneliness into healthy solitude, states have been intervening through public policy to increase social interactions. The United Kingdom Government has led this development of a “connected society,”71 implementing social policies to counteract barriers to forming meaningful, interpersonal relationships. Its England-wide 2018 strategy71 has provided national leadership in coordinating stakeholder action to bring communities together. It emphasizes social prescribing as the referral of persons to a range of services to meet their social, emotional, and practical needs. Other objectives are to: Strengthen community infrastructure, target support for groups like younger persons, and tackle the stigma associated with isolation and loneliness. Scotland72 and Wales73 have published complementary strategies, other countries following this lead. In 2021, Japan created its own Ministry for Loneliness after witnessing rising rates of suicide among women, and kodokushi, lonely death, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the world, policy statements acknowledge social isolation and loneliness as public health concerns in groups such as older adults.74 Interventions to lessen loneliness include social support,38,48 increasing opportunities for social interaction, and social skills development.
The Social Construction of Loneliness and Global Public Health
Published in Vincent La Placa, Julia Morgan, Social Science Perspectives on Global Public Health, 2023
Vincent La Placa, Julia Morgan
With reference to the discussions in this chapter, begin to reflect upon the following: Why is loneliness a significant global public health issue?What interventions may alleviate loneliness?How far do you think that loneliness as a concept differs cross culturally?
Treating loneliness in the aftermath of a pandemic
Published in J. Michael Ryan, COVID-19, 2020
What may be less obvious than the relatively rare threat of objective social isolation is that research consistently demonstrates that perceived social isolation, or in other words loneliness, is associated with nearly all health outcomes (Hawkley and Cacioppo 2010; Holt-Lunstad 2017). Loneliness is related to both physical health, including cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality (Caspi et al. 2006; Shiovitz-Ezra and Ayalon 2010), and mental health, including depression/anxiety, dementia, and suicide ideation (Cacioppo and Cacioppo 2014; Hawkley and Cacioppo 2010; Cornwell and Waite 2009). Conversely, greater social connection is associated with a 50% reduced risk of death (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton 2010). And, just to be sure, a recent meta-analysis shows that the influence of the quantity and quality of social relationships on mortality is comparable to other well-established clinical risk factors, such as exercise and obesity (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton 2010; Holt-Lunstad 2017; Pantell et al. 2013). In fact, statistical analyses estimate that feeling lonely is worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton 2010). Considering the great deal of stress that loneliness puts upon the mind and body, it is not surprising that some people struggled to comply with coronavirus quarantine guidelines.
Predictors of Loneliness Among Older Lesbian and Gay People
Published in Journal of Homosexuality, 2023
Mark Hughes, Anthony Lyons, Beatrice Alba, Andrea Waling, Victor Minichiello, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Catherine Barrett, Teresa Savage, Michelle Blanchard, Samantha Edmonds
While loneliness is identified as leading to negative physical and mental health outcomes (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015), it is possible to identify loneliness as a mental health or emotional wellbeing outcome in itself. It may also be understood as a component of quality of life and part of the continuum of social support and connectedness as represented in the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (Fredriksen-Goldsen & Kim, 2017). Framing loneliness in this way can assist in applying the Health Equity Promotion Model (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2014). If loneliness is identified as a quality of life and wellbeing outcome, then it is possible to track the range of contributing and predictor factors across the model. In particular, the multivariable analysis presented in this paper demonstrates the importance of individual-level contextual forces (recent experiences of discrimination—for older lesbian women; lifetime experiences of discrimination—for older gay men), social and community pathways (not being in an intimate relationship and not being connected to lesbian and gay communities) and psychological pathways (internalized homonegativity—for older gay men). While our study was not able to investigate it, it is likely that these factors emerge and cumulate over the life course in different ways, as conceptualized in the model. A critical question is: what resources, supports and other interventions can be developed to address these factors and help build resilience to loneliness?
Activity Patterns and Loneliness in Later Life: The Mediating Effects of Social Support and Attitudes Toward Aging
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2023
Yue Zeng, Shan Mao, Nan Lu, Meng Chen
As the aging population grows, mental well-being in later life is becoming a pressing issue (Burroughs & Wilkie, 2016). Loneliness, a typical index of mental health status, has been defined as distressing feelings that stem from a mismatch between desired and achieved quantity or quality of social relationships (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010). Researchers have estimated that the prevalence of loneliness among older Chinese adults varies from 20% to 34% (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021), and the figure has shown a rising trend due to socioeconomic changes and dramatic increase in the older population in China. Therefore, preventing loneliness in later life is a major concern in public health because it is highly associated with adverse outcomes, including cognitive impairment, chronic diseases (e.g., stroke and coronary heart disease), depressive symptoms, low quality of life, and even high risk of mortality (Ahadi & Hassani, 2021; Chan et al., 2015; Kong et al., 2018). Current evidence has documented risk factors associated with loneliness, such as low socioeconomic status, declining mobility, and living alone (Dahlberg et al., 2022; Fierloos et al., 2021). However, there has been limited research exploring protective factors that prospectively affect loneliness.
Gay Dating Apps in China: Do They Alleviate or Exacerbate Loneliness? The Serial Mediation Effect of Perceived and Internalized Sexuality Stigma
Published in Journal of Homosexuality, 2023
Popular as it is, gay dating apps are mostly concerned with the possibility to elevate HIV/STI rates, as these apps may encourage more sex and riskier sex (Cao et al., 2017; Clark, 2015). Moreover, the effects of gay dating apps usage on the mental health outcomes of users deserve attention (Anzani, Di Sarno, & Prunas, 2018). In terms of mental health concerns for gay and bisexual men, depression has received relatively more attention, whereas loneliness as a key factor of men’s wellbeing has not (Marziali et al., 2020; Su et al., 2018; Zervoulis et al., 2020). As a consequence, this study seeks to address this void in the literature. Loneliness refers to a subjectively painful feeling of suffering due to the absence of social connections or the lack of belongingness. It manifests as the perceived discrepancy between social needs and their availability in the environment (Beutel et al., 2017). Loneliness can co-occur with high-risk physical and psychiatric disorders (Beutel et al., 2017; Mushtaq, Shoib, Shah, & Mushtaq, 2014), including distress, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation (Aggarwal & Gerrets, 2014; Westefeld, Maples, Buford, & Taylor, 2001).