Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Social and Emotional Loneliness among Older People Living in Nursing Homes in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Miriam Molas-Tuneu
,
Javier Jerez-Roig
* ORCID logo ,
Eduard Minobes-Molina
ORCID logo ,
Laura Coll-Planas
,
Anna Escribà-Salvans
,
Pau Farrés-Godayol
ORCID logo ,
Meltem Yildirim
ORCID logo ,
Sandra Rierola-Fochs
ORCID logo ,
Ester Goutan-Roura
,
Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza
,
Dawn A. Skelton
ORCID logo ,
Jordi Naudó-Molist
Version 1 : Received: 26 January 2022 / Approved: 27 January 2022 / Online: 27 January 2022 (13:25:59 CET)

How to cite: Molas-Tuneu, M.; Jerez-Roig, J.; Minobes-Molina, E.; Coll-Planas, L.; Escribà-Salvans, A.; Farrés-Godayol, P.; Yildirim, M.; Rierola-Fochs, S.; Goutan-Roura, E.; Bezerra de Souza, D.L.; Skelton, D.A.; Naudó-Molist, J. Social and Emotional Loneliness among Older People Living in Nursing Homes in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints 2022, 2022010423. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202201.0423.v1 Molas-Tuneu, M.; Jerez-Roig, J.; Minobes-Molina, E.; Coll-Planas, L.; Escribà-Salvans, A.; Farrés-Godayol, P.; Yildirim, M.; Rierola-Fochs, S.; Goutan-Roura, E.; Bezerra de Souza, D.L.; Skelton, D.A.; Naudó-Molist, J. Social and Emotional Loneliness among Older People Living in Nursing Homes in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints 2022, 2022010423. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202201.0423.v1

Abstract

(1) Background: Loneliness, little studied in Nursing Homes (NHs), can affect physical and mental health. We aimed to verify the prevalence of loneliness in 5 NHs and its associated factors. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study. Older adults aged 65 or over with preserved cognitive status were included. The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale was used to assess overall, social, and emotional loneliness; sociodemographic and health-related variables were collected. The chi-square (or Fisher’s) test and logistic regression were used for bivariate and multivariate analysis respectively. (3) Results: The final sample consisted of 65 participants (81.5% female) with a mean age of 84±7.13. Prevalence of overall loneliness was 70.7% (95%CI:58.2-81.4), social loneliness 44.6% (95% CI: 33.1-56.6) and emotional loneliness 46.2% (95% CI: 34.5–58.1). Overall loneliness was associated with lower perceived quality of life (Odds Ratio-OR= 5.52, 95% CI:1.25-24.38) and NH with state subsidized places (OR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.05-0.74); social loneliness with having 0-1 children (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.77), and emotional loneliness with depression (OR=4.54, 95% CI: 1.28-16.08) and urinary incontinence (UI) (OR=4.65, 95% CI: 1.23-17.52). (4) Conclusions: Loneliness was present in almost 71% of residents and was associated with the type of NH and poorer quality of life, emotional loneliness with depression and UI and social loneliness with having less than 2 children.

Keywords

emotional loneliness; social loneliness; nursing homes; older adults; social isolation

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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