Loneliness and Social Isolation

The De Jong Gierveld short scales for emotional and social loneliness: tested on data from 7 countries in the UN generations and gender surveys

“…Additionally, it should be noted that for the investigation of the validity of the two scales only a limited number of loneliness-related variables were considered in the analyses. The size, composition, and functioning of the social network, religious bonds, participation in volunteer activities, other bonds within the local community, norms and values regarding solidarity, and support exchanges within families, as well as societal characteristics and interaction effects of country and individual characteristics (De Jong Gierveld et al 2006), are among the many indicators known to protect against loneliness but were not incorporated in this analysis. The GGS is characterized by a panel design.…”

“…This is true for younger as well as older people, and justifies the ongoing interest of social scientists in investigating the social bonds of individuals in different phases of the life course, as well as identifying the mechanisms responsible for creating either social embeddedness or loneliness. Loneliness is a universal phenomenon, but the antecedents vary, to a large extent based on personal and contextual determinants (De Jong Gierveld et al 2006). Loneliness is a subjective and negative experience, and is the outcome of the subjective, cognitive evaluation of there being a mismatch between the quantity and quality of existing relationships on the one hand, and relationship standards on the other (Perlman and Peplau 1981).…”

Experiences of discrimination and the feelings of loneliness in people with psychotic disorders: The mediating effects of self-esteem and support seeking

“…This phenomenon is related, above all, to the failure to satisfy the need for intimacy, and it arises on the basis of the differences between ideal and actually perceived interpersonal relationships. It is basically a subjective experience and, as such, should be distinguished from social isolation, which concerns the objective characteristics of the situation and refers to the absence of relationships with other people [7]. Socially isolated persons are not necessarily lonely, and vice versa.…”

“…an individual's preference to request help from others in times of need, is considered an active and mostly adaptive strategy for coping with stressful events [17]. It has been argued that it can be particularly useful for individuals who have experienced rejection, because it helps them to restore a sense of belonging [3], which is essentially the opposite of loneliness [7]. Yet, experiences of rejection may drive people with mental illness to anticipate further rejection and have been found to be associated with the endorsement of defensive coping strategies, such as keeping one's illness secret and withdrawal from social interactions [14].…”

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Loneliness: Does Social Anxiety Matter?

“…Loneliness appears as a result of being without some definitely essential relationship or set of relationships but not because of being alone (Weiss, 1973). Studies confirmed that if a person's network of social relations is significantly deficient both qualitatively and quantitatively, then as an unpleasant emotion, loneliness may be evoked (Perlman & Peplau, 1981) (de Jong Gierveld, Van Tilburg, & Dykstra, 2006.…”