Factors Associated with Loneliness among Institutionalized and Community Dwelling Elders

Satisfying social relationships are vital for elder s mental and physical health. Deficitsin the quality of these social relationships can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness inelders. Objective: To identify factors associated with loneliness among institutionalized andcommunity dwelling elders. Settings: The study was carried out in all governmental elderlyhomes in Dakahlia Governorate and two outpatient clinics affiliated to Mansoura GeneralHospital and the Specialized Medical Hospital. Subjects: 151 elderly persons were includedin the study (61 elders from elderly homes and 90 from outpatient clinics. Tools: five toolswere used: Mini-Mental State Examination, Socio-demographic structured InterviewSchedule Sheet, Barthel Index Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Geriatric DepressionScale. Results: The main factors associated with loneliness among institutionalized elderswere sex, level of education, occupation before retirement, health perception, and presence ofdepression. While, marital status, occupation before retirement, income, health perception,and presence of depression were the factors associated with loneliness among communitydwelling elders. Conclusion: Loneliness is prevailing among institutionalized elders thancommunity dwelling elders. The main factors associated with loneliness for both groups wereelders occupation before retirement, their perception of health and presence of depression.Recommendations: Increase elders awareness about their health, and encourage theirparticipation in volunteer and recreational activities.