Loneliness in Elderly Inpatients

Abstract

Purpose: Loneliness among the elderly is a widespread phenomenon and is connected to various negative health outcomes. Nevertheless, loneliness among elderly inpatients, especially those with a psychiatric diagnosis, has hardly been examined. Our study assessed loneliness in elderly inpatients, identified predictors, and compared levels of loneliness between inpatients on psychiatric and somatic wards. Methods: N = 100 elderly inpatients of a somatic and psychiatric ward were included. Levels of loneliness were assessed, as were potential predictors such as depression, psychological resilience, severity of mental illness, well-being, daily functioning, and psychiatric diagnosis. Analyses of group differences and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: 37% of all inpatients reported elevated levels of loneliness. Significant predictor variables were self-reported depressive symptoms, well-being, severity of mental illness, being single and living with a caregiver. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the full model explained 58% of variance in loneliness. Psychiatric inpatients’ loneliness was significantly higher than loneliness in somatic inpatients. When analyzing group differences between inpatients with different main psychiatric diagnoses, highest levels were found in patients with an affective disorder, followed by those treated for organic mental disorder. Since the study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, potential influence of different measurement points (lockdown vs. no lockdown) were analyzed: Differences in loneliness depending on the phase of the pandemic were non-significant. Conclusion: Elderly inpatients experience high levels of loneliness, especially those with a mental disorder. Interventions to reduce loneliness in this population should address predictors of loneliness, preferably through multiprofessional interventions.

Solidão Em Adultos E Idosos

“…Esses resultados corroboram com a elevada prevalência de solidão observada na sociedade atual. Estudos anteriores indicaram que a elevada presença de solidão acarreta uma série de consequências prejudiciais à saúde física e mental das pessoas (JUST et al, 2022;LEE et al, 2023;MCKENNA-PLUMLEY et al, 2023;SIU et al, 2022). Segundo King (2018), uma a cada cinco pessoas no mundo se percebe como solitária.…”

Relationship between personal recovery, autobiographical memory, and clinical recovery in people with mental illness in the acute phase

“…Some subjects were kept in a quiet room immediately after admission, while others were admitted without consent. In addition to being more likely to process negative memories [ 7 ], the circumstances leading to hospitalization may have made them feel more isolated during their stay [ 43 ]. Despite that situation, participants showing higher personal recovery still vividly remembered the circumstances that led to their hospitalization, but at the same time they may have been thinking about how to prevent something like that from happening again (especially the negative cue words “hurt” and “lonely”).…”

Effect of micro-concerts on the physical health and clinical symptoms of elderly people in nursing homes

“…. As can be seen from the literature, the main problems that appear with age are physical (United Nations Department of EconomicJust et al, 2022;Pérez, 2001;Vélez et al, 2019;Villa et al, 2015), in this sense, the present study analyzes precisely the change of these two aspects and the change produced by a musical intervention.Previous studies have already found, as we do, that musical intervention improves the physical health of older people (Catillejos & Godoy, 2021; Gómez-Romero et al, 2017; Hofbauer et al, 2022; Li et al, 2022; Machado et al, 2018; Mileski et al, 2019; Rusowickz et al, 2022; Sun et al, 2021; Tsoi et al, 2018; Xu et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2017) and decrease different Clinical Symptoms: depression (Aalbers et al, 2017; Chang et al, 2015; Clare & Camic, 2020; Dhippayom et al, 2022; Li et al, 2022; Mileski et al, 2019; Sun et al, 2021; Tang et al, 2020; Tsoi et al, 2018; Yu et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2017; Zhao et al, 2016) and anxiety (Aalbers et al, 2017; Chang et al, 2015; Clare & Camic, 2020; Gómez-Romero et al, 2017; Hofbauer et al, 2022; Ing-Randolph et al, 2015; Steen et al, 2018; Tsoi et al, 2018; Yeda et al, 2013; Zhang et al, 2017) fundamentally. Therefore, our results are in line with the literature reviewed.…”

“…can lead to chronic painful symptoms that can affect the mood of the elderly person (Dziechciaz & Filip, 2014; Tinnirello et al, 2021). The presence of pain is associated with a general worsening of health, functional impairment, falls, depression, decreased appetite, sleep disturbances and social isolation and feelings of loneliness (Alvarado & Salazar, 2018;Byrd, 2013;Just et al, 2022;Vélez et al, 2019).…”