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      Older adult loneliness: myths and realities

      review-article
      European Journal of Ageing
      Springer-Verlag
      Loneliness, Quality of life, Cross-national comparison, Ageing, Change over time

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          Abstract

          The focus in this paper is on the social domain of quality of life, and more particularly loneliness. The empirical literature on older adult loneliness is reviewed, thereby challenging three often-held assumptions that figure prominently in public debates on loneliness. The first assumption that loneliness is a problem specifically for older people finds only partial support. Loneliness is common only among the very old. The second assumption is that people in individualistic societies are most lonely. Contrary to this belief, findings show that older adults in northern European countries tend to be less lonely than those in the more familialistic southern European countries. The scarce data on Central and Eastern Europe suggest a high prevalence of older adult loneliness in those countries. The third assumption that loneliness has increased over the past decades finds no support. Loneliness levels have decreased, albeit slightly. The review notes the persistence of ageist attitudes, and underscores the importance of considering people’s frame of reference and normative orientation in analyses of loneliness.

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          Most cited references62

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          Family Ties in Western Europe: Persistent Contrasts

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            A review of loneliness: concept and definitions, determinants and consequences

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              Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                +31-70-3565200 , +31-70-3647187 , dykstra@nidi.nl
                Journal
                Eur J Ageing
                European Journal of Ageing
                Springer-Verlag (Berlin/Heidelberg )
                1613-9372
                1613-9380
                4 April 2009
                June 2009
                : 6
                : 2
                : 91-100
                Affiliations
                Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), PO Box 11650, 2502 AR The Hague, The Netherlands
                Article
                110
                10.1007/s10433-009-0110-3
                2693783
                19517025
                22c51776-87c0-4d15-a1cc-32896941ebc6
                © The Author(s) 2009
                History
                Categories
                Review
                Custom metadata
                © Springer-Verlag 2009

                Geriatric medicine
                cross-national comparison,quality of life,loneliness,ageing,change over time
                Geriatric medicine
                cross-national comparison, quality of life, loneliness, ageing, change over time

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