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

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 Izmir. 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. Amac/Giris: Yalnizlik yasamin her doneminde gelisir ve bircok yasli icin buyuk bir sorundur. Bu calismanin amaci yasli bireylerde yalnizlik sikligini belirlemek ve sosyo-demografik ozellikler, saglik durumu, yasam doyumu ve gunluk aktivitelerinin yalnizliga etkisini degerlendirmektir. Yontem: Tanimlayici ve kesitsel tipteki bu calisma Izmir ilinde iki kirsal ve bir kentsel bolgede 160 katilimci ile yurutulmustur.  Veriler sosyo-demografik veri formu, UCLA Yalnizlik Olcegi, Yasam Doyum Olcegi ve Katz Gunluk Yasam Aktiviteleri Olcegi ve Lawton ve Brody’nin Ensturimental Gunluk Yasam Aktiviteleri Olcegi ile toplanmistir. Veriler t testi, Kruskal-Wallis analizi, Anova testi, pearson korelasyon ve coklu regresyon analizi ile degerlendirilmistir. Bulgular: Katilimcilarda yalnizlik gorulme orani %46.9 idi. Katilimcilarin evlilik durumu, egitim durumu, yasadigi bolge, saglik durumu, uyku kalitesi, egzersiz yapma durumu ve enstrumental gunluk yasam aktiviteleri durumuna gore yalnizlik puanlari arasinda fark bulunmustur. Yasam doyumu, gunluk yasam aktiviteleri ve enstrumental gunluk yasam aktiviteleri ile yalnizlik arasinda ters yonde iliski saptanmistir. Sonuc: Yasli bakim hizmetleri multidisipliner bir yaklasim ile sunulmalidir. Hemsireler uygun hemsirelik girisimleri gelistirmek icin ozellikle oz bakim kapasiteleri dusuk, sosyal etkilesimi azalmis yasli bireylerin yalnizligini degerlendirmelidir.