Social Representations of Loneliness in People Aged at Least Seventy Years Old

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the social representations of loneliness in older adults. Method: an exploratory and qualitative research study conducted in Lambayeque, Peru, by applying the Theory of Social Representations. A sociodemographic questionnaire was applied and in-depth interviews were conducted employing the semi-structured instrument with 32 older adults aged at least 70 years old, 50% belonging to each gender. Simple statistics and percentage analysis were applied to the sociodemographic data. The interviews were analyzed in the Alceste software program, subjecting them to lexicographic analysis. Results: the negative social representations refer to weak or impaired social relations with insufficient social support, thus vulnerabilizing older adults. The positive ones refer to pleasurable activities with no other people involved, assuming loneliness as adequate for intimacy, for listening to silence, for enjoying harmony and peace, for internal self-connection and for leading a pleasurable life, valuing it and strengthening the spiritual dimension. Conclusion: there is certain dialectics in the conception of loneliness: negative when it refers to the social context and to older adults' relationships with others; and positive when it represents an opportunity to embrace loneliness and perform pleasurable activities without depending on other people. It is indispensable to foster such positive aspects in the care provided to aged people.