ABSTRACT
This study investigates the impact of the overall intensity and changes in grandparental caregiving on loneliness in grandparents in European countries. Data from waves 5 to 8 of the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used (Nindividuals = 30,896 and Nobservations = 48,562). We included grandparents (aged 50 years and over) with at least one grandchild at the beginning of the study. The analyses reveal that any intensity of grandparental care decreases the risk of loneliness. When looking at changes in grandparental care the results show that stable caregiving roles appeared to reduce loneliness, while starting to provide grandparental care makes grandparents more vulnerable to loneliness. In conclusion, our findings underscore that consistent grandparental care is important for grandparents in mitigating loneliness, highlighting the importance of sustained caregiving roles over fluctuations in caregiving intensity.
ABSTRACT
Background: In recent years, there has been a rise in international (care) movements that prioritise community-centred initiatives such as age-friendly communities, compassionate communities or integrated community care. Although these movements have different focal points, they share common features: seeking to address systemic failures in (care) services, value the participation of end-users, focus on unmet (care) needs, through a local, neighbourhood-oriented approach. In the Flemish and Brussels regions notably the concept of Caring Neighbourhoods is experiencing rapid growth. Objectives: The objective of the present study is to examine the development and implementation of 35 Caring Neighbourhood initiatives in Flanders and Brussels (Belgium) to explore the added value of such projects, as well as the crucial elements for creating Caring Neighbourhoods. Design: Thirty-five caring neighbourhood projects were examined by means of five focus group interviews with project coordinators (n = 34) and five focus group interviews with neighbourhood residents (n = 27), using participant-generated photo elicitation. Methods: The focus group sessions were recorded, transcribed and data were labelled using an inductive analytical framework, following the steps of reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The analysis of the 35 Caring Neighbourhoods showed that fostering connections was key in building Caring Neighbourhoods: connections among residents, connections between residents and care and support services and among care services themselves. The three primary ways to connect people were through activities, places and people. Also, the role of the Caring Neighbourhood coordinator is highlighted as key, which should focus on weaving existing resources, facilitating and coaching instead of organising. Altogether, the projects brought meaning and value to participants' lives, enhancing overall life satisfaction and well-being, with an emphasis on physical and psychosocial care and support. Conclusion: Through critically reflecting on our results and other research, we call on researchers to pay increased attention in research on community-centred care initiatives to death, dying and grief, equity and social justice and the need for both warm and cold solidarity.
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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the prevalence of loneliness in many countries worldwide which have different ways of assessing it. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING: We searched seven electronic databases for English peer-reviewed studies published between 1992 and 2021. PARTICIPANTS: We selected English-language peer-reviewed articles, with data from non-clinical populations of community-dwelling older adults (>60 years), and with "loneliness" or "lonely" in the title. MEASUREMENTS: A multilevel random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the prevalence of loneliness across studies and to pool prevalence rates for different measurement instruments, data collection methods, and countries. RESULTS: Our initial search identified 2,021 studies of which 45 (k = 101 prevalence rates) were included in the final meta-analysis. The estimated pooled prevalence rate was 31.6% (n = 168,473). Measurement instrument was a statistically significant moderator of the overall prevalence of loneliness. Loneliness prevalence was lowest for single-item questions and highest for the 20-item University of California-Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. Also, differences between modes of data collection were significant: the loneliness prevalence was significantly the highest for face-to-face data collection and the lowest for telephone and CATI data collection. Our moderator analysis to look at the country effect indicated that four of the six dimensions of Hofstede also caused a significant increase (Power Distance Index, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, Indulgence) or decrease (Individualism) in loneliness prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there is high variability in loneliness prevalence rates among community-dwelling older adults, influenced by measurement instrument used, mode of data collection, and country.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND: The scientific literature suggests the necessity of studying loneliness from a broader social perspective. This article aims to broaden the research on loneliness in older migrants by exploring the role of cultural differences through the lens of the social environment (as measured in social capital, discrimination, and ageism) and social situation (as measured in relational mobility, childness, and marital status). Based on Hofstede's Individualism Index, older migrants involved in the BBC Loneliness Experiment (N = 2164) were classified into three groups: cultural migrants (i.e., from a collectivist to individualist culture) (N = 239), migrants with a similar culture (i.e., within an individualist culture) (N = 841), and ageing non-migrants (N = 1084). OBJECTIVES: The two main objectives were (1) to compare the levels of loneliness among these three groups, and (2) to unravel how different influencing factors, such as the social environment, social situation, coping strategies, and personal characteristics, are related to loneliness. METHODS: Bivariate analyses were performed to determine the differences in the loneliness, social environment, social situation, and personal characteristic variables between the groups, with adjusted p-values according to the Bonferroni correction to limit the potential for type I errors (α = 0.005). Multiple linear regressions were performed to unravel the relationships between loneliness and the different influencing factors, namely the social environment, social situation, coping strategies, and personal characteristics. RESULTS: The bivariate analyses show no significant difference in loneliness across the three groups. The multiple linear regressions demonstrate that the social environment (i.e., social capital, discrimination, and ageism) is significantly associated with loneliness. Social capital acts as a protective factor for cultural migrants (ß = -0.27, p < 0.005, 95% CI [-0.48, -0.05]), similar-culture migrants (ß = -0.13, p < 0.005, 95% CI [-0.25, -0.03]), and non-migrants (ß = -0.21, p < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.28, -0.12]). Discrimination and ageism are both risk factors for loneliness across the three groups. Social situation, as measured in married/cohabitation status and relational mobility, shows a significant association with loneliness in the non-migrants and similar-culture migrants but not the cultural migrants. In terms of individual resources for coping strategies, engagement in active coping is protective for all three groups. Non-coping, the unawareness of any coping strategies, is a risk factor, while passive coping shows no significant association. DISCUSSION: The results show that the structural factor of the social environment in which older migrants' find themselves, rather than their culture of origin, is more important for older migrants' feelings of loneliness in later life. A favorable social environment with high social capital and low levels of discrimination and ageism protects against loneliness in the ageing population across cultures. Practical implications for loneliness interventions for older migrants are put forward.