Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments
Loneliness is a common subjective condition that is associated with distress and negative outcomes for psychosocial functioning and well-being, and it is grounded in destructive or inadequate social functioning. Social interactions are considered one of the key factors determining loneliness, and si...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/71 |
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| author | Inna Murtazina Kristina Krupina Olga Strizhitskaya |
| author_facet | Inna Murtazina Kristina Krupina Olga Strizhitskaya |
| author_sort | Inna Murtazina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Loneliness is a common subjective condition that is associated with distress and negative outcomes for psychosocial functioning and well-being, and it is grounded in destructive or inadequate social functioning. Social interactions are considered one of the key factors determining loneliness, and similarly to social interactions, loneliness can occur in different domains. While a solid body of research is focused on loneliness as a general condition, there are few studies that investigate loneliness from a multidimensional perspective, particularly combining general and domain-specific loneliness. In the present study, we conceptualized loneliness as a complex phenomenon. We focused on the associations between different types of loneliness and the characteristics of social environments. The participants were 140 adults aged 45–73 (58.9% females). The methods involved the Multidimensional Inventory of Loneliness Experience, the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale (SELSA-S), the “Sociotropy—Self-Sufficiency” Questionnaire, and the assessment of demographic characteristics (age and sex). To test our hypothesis, we applied regression path modeling. The results showed that general loneliness predicted both family and non-family loneliness. We also found that general loneliness increased experiences of social uncertainty, while non-family loneliness decreased positive relations with others. No age effects were found. An effect of sex was found for social uncertainty and positive relations with others. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-afa61f9a206641369b16bcddee81b035 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-afa61f9a206641369b16bcddee81b0352025-01-24T13:22:48ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-01-011517110.3390/bs15010071Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social EnvironmentsInna Murtazina0Kristina Krupina1Olga Strizhitskaya2Faculty of Psychology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, RussiaFaculty of Psychology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, RussiaFaculty of Psychology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, RussiaLoneliness is a common subjective condition that is associated with distress and negative outcomes for psychosocial functioning and well-being, and it is grounded in destructive or inadequate social functioning. Social interactions are considered one of the key factors determining loneliness, and similarly to social interactions, loneliness can occur in different domains. While a solid body of research is focused on loneliness as a general condition, there are few studies that investigate loneliness from a multidimensional perspective, particularly combining general and domain-specific loneliness. In the present study, we conceptualized loneliness as a complex phenomenon. We focused on the associations between different types of loneliness and the characteristics of social environments. The participants were 140 adults aged 45–73 (58.9% females). The methods involved the Multidimensional Inventory of Loneliness Experience, the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale (SELSA-S), the “Sociotropy—Self-Sufficiency” Questionnaire, and the assessment of demographic characteristics (age and sex). To test our hypothesis, we applied regression path modeling. The results showed that general loneliness predicted both family and non-family loneliness. We also found that general loneliness increased experiences of social uncertainty, while non-family loneliness decreased positive relations with others. No age effects were found. An effect of sex was found for social uncertainty and positive relations with others.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/71lonelinessfamily lonelinessnon-family lonelinesssocial environmentssocial unconfidenceenvironmental mastery |
| spellingShingle | Inna Murtazina Kristina Krupina Olga Strizhitskaya Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments Behavioral Sciences loneliness family loneliness non-family loneliness social environments social unconfidence environmental mastery |
| title | Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments |
| title_full | Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments |
| title_fullStr | Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments |
| title_short | Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments |
| title_sort | loneliness in middle aged and older adults effects of social environments |
| topic | loneliness family loneliness non-family loneliness social environments social unconfidence environmental mastery |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/71 |
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