Factors Related to Loneliness Among the Elderly Living at Home in Turkey

Öz

Aim/background: Loneliness occurs in all stages of life, and a major problem for most of the elderly. To determine the prevalence of loneliness and evaluate the effects of socio-demographic, health characteristics, life satisfaction, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living among elderly people. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 160 participants in three regions of İzmir. Measures were included a demographic questionnaire, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Life Satisfaction Scale, the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living and the Lawton and Brody’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Index. Data were analysed via the independent t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA test, Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression with stepwise analysis. Results: The loneliness rate was 46.9% among participants. A great difference existed between loneliness level and marital status, education level, place of residence, self-reported health, self-reported sleep quality, exercise and instrumental activities of daily living. Life satisfaction, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living were negatively associated with loneliness.  Conclusion: Elderly care services should be designed with a multidisciplinary approach, and nurses should especially assess loneliness in elderly with low levels of self-care capacity and reduced social contacts to develop appropriate nursing interventions.

Amaç/Giriş: Yalnızlık yaşamın her döneminde gelişir ve birçok yaşlı için büyük bir sorundur. Bu çalışmanın amacı yaşlı bireylerde yalnızlık sıklığını belirlemek ve sosyo-demografik özellikler, sağlık durumu, yaşam doyumu ve günlük aktivitelerinin yalnızlığa etkisini değerlendirmektir. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel tipteki bu çalışma İzmir ilinde iki kırsal ve bir kentsel bölgede 160 katılımcı ile yürütülmüştür.  Veriler sosyo-demografik veri formu, UCLA Yalnızlık Ölçeği, Yaşam Doyum Ölçeği ve Katz Günlük Yaşam Aktiviteleri Ölçeği ve Lawton ve Brody’nin Enstürimental Günlük Yaşam Aktiviteleri Ölçeği ile toplanmıştır. Veriler t testi, Kruskal-Wallis analizi, Anova testi, pearson korelasyon ve çoklu regresyon analizi ile değerlendirilmiştir.  Bulgular: Katılımcılarda yalnızlık görülme oranı %46.9 idi. Katılımcıların evlilik durumu, eğitim durumu, yaşadığı bölge, sağlık durumu, uyku kalitesi, egzersiz yapma durumu ve enstrümental günlük yaşam aktiviteleri durumuna göre yalnızlık puanları arasında fark bulunmuştur. Yaşam doyumu, günlük yaşam aktiviteleri ve enstrümental günlük yaşam aktiviteleri ile yalnızlık arasında ters yönde ilişki saptanmıştır.  Sonuç: Yaşlı bakım hizmetleri multidisipliner bir yaklaşım ile sunulmalıdır. Hemşireler uygun hemşirelik girişimleri geliştirmek için özellikle öz bakım kapasiteleri düşük, sosyal etkileşimi azalmış yaşlı bireylerin yalnızlığını değerlendirmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Activity of daily living,elderly people,life satisfaction,loneliness

Kaynakça

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