engleski

Loneliness among Slovenian and Croatian older adults

Loneliness is one of the most important risk factors for poor mental health in older adults. As the proportion of people living alone increases in Europe, particularly among the older adults, loneliness became a growing public health problem in this population. There is a positive correlation between age and loneliness. While in the 60-80 age group, the proportion of people reporting feelings of loneliness is between 5 and 10% in the age group over 80, frequent feelings of loneliness are reported by 40 to 50% of people. Since a wide range of factors contribute to loneliness, the aim of this study was to examine loneliness in older adults and to identify different factors that might be related to loneliness in this population, as well as to compare differences between Slovenia and Croatia. A sample of 442 older adults aged 65 to 89 (M = 73.8, SD = 7.07) was included in the study, of which 275 participants were from Slovenia and 167 were from Croatia. Participants completed questionnaires on loneliness (DJG), depression (DASS21) and belongingness (INQ). There was a significant difference in loneliness of older adults between the two countries, where older adults from Slovenia reported greater loneliness than older adults from Croatia. Furthermore, there were no significant difference in loneliness regarding age, gender or marital status, but there was significant difference in loneliness in regard to living arrangement. While in Slovenia those living at home reported greater loneliness in comparison to those living in nursing homes, in Croatia those living in nursing homes reported greater loneliness when compared to those living at home. There was also a significant positive correlation between loneliness and depression, as well as significant negative correlation between loneliness and belongingness in both countries. Regarding loneliness of older adults there are many similarities between Slovenia and Croatia, but also some differences regarding sub-groups of older adults that are more at risk, especially in regard to living arrangements, which also suggest a need for specific interventions targeting those individuals from specific subgroups of older adults.

loneliness, older adults, risk factors, depression, belongingness

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