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Exploring Loneliness, Trust, and Psychosocial Meanings Among Primary Care Attendees: A Cross-Sectional Study From a General Practice Setting in Crete, Greece.
Volkos, Panagiotis; Linardakis, Manolis; Stamati, Maria; Symvoulakis, Emmanouil K.
Afiliação
  • Volkos P; Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, GRC.
  • Linardakis M; Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, GRC.
  • Stamati M; 4th Local Health Team, Academic Unit of Heraklion, Heraklion, GRC.
  • Symvoulakis EK; Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, GRC.
Cureus ; 16(5): e61019, 2024 May.
Article em En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38910642
ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

Loneliness is often associated with behavioral, psychological, social, and mental and physical health aspects, while the relationship between trust and loneliness is still challenging in terms of research. The present study aimed to investigate to what extent loneliness and trust interact and if there is any association between loneliness and routine events or behaviors that affect overall well-being.

METHODS:

This cross-sectional sample of 120 participants, aged between 40 and 75 years, was collected from an urban Primary Health Care Unit, between May and July 2023, in a consecutive manner, after criteria application. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and the Personal Trust and Connections Scale (PerTC) were completed. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis in steps and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed.

RESULTS:

The mean age of the participants was 59.8 years and the majority were females (73.3%). Only 10.8% were found to have no Behavioral Risk Factors (BRFs). A higher sense of loneliness was associated with being widowed/unmarried/divorced (unstandardized ß=-4.10, p=0.045), not having children (ß=-2.80, p=0.038), having more BRFs (ß=2.03, p=0.032), or being in contact with fewer friends (ß=-0.56, p<0.001). A higher sense of loneliness was related to lower levels of trust (ß=-1.29, p=0.032). Lower odds of demonstrating high levels of loneliness were found among married individuals (odds ratio (OR) 0.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15, 0.95; p=0.039) and those who reported six or more routine contacts or meetings with friends (OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.13, 0.74; p=0.008). A lower score on the total PerTC scale was related to higher odds of increased loneliness (OR 2.78; 95%CI 1.01, 7.62; p=0.048).

CONCLUSION:

Being married and coming in contact or meeting with more friends was associated with lower odds of reporting high feelings of loneliness, while lower trust was correlated with increased odds of loneliness. Also, persons with more BRFs were found to have a higher loneliness score. Given their inverse correlation, tools that measure levels of loneliness and trust, like the UCLA and PerTC scales, may be used within primary care consultation to offer new insights on health risk behaviors and their possible synergistic influences.
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Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Cureus Ano de publicação: 2024 Tipo de documento: Article

Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Cureus Ano de publicação: 2024 Tipo de documento: Article