2024-01-24 08:00:20
According to the data of the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness (SoledadES) at least the 13,4 % of the population in Spain suffered from unwanted loneliness during the year 2023which shows that it is time to act to stop this public and social health problem.
Unwanted loneliness is experienced when a person does not have access to enough social interactions or these are not of sufficient quality, according to their needs and social expectations.
This is what the ‘Report on unwanted loneliness in older adults‘made by the Santalucia Institute.
This study, led by the researcher Josefa Ros Velasco, member of the Expert Forum of the SantaLucia Institute, highlights the prevalence of the phenomenon of loneliness in the population, analyzes its possible causes and offers a series of recommendations to alleviate its effects.
Josefa Ros Velasco recognizes that the objective of this report is: “Transfer what we have learned and raise awareness to give visibility to a reality that is there, but that many ignore.”
A problem that does not understand age
The age groups that are most affected by unwanted loneliness are those that, on the one hand, make up adolescents and young people which reach almost 22%, and on the other hand, older people from 75 years of age which represent 12.2 percent.
These data collected in the report St. Lucia show that despite not being expected, young people are the age group that suffers the most from unwanted loneliness.
However, although unwanted loneliness begins to seriously affect the age group of young people and adolescents, The group of older adults continues to show a higher prevalence in Spain.
Besides, people with disabilities, caregivers or immigrantsamong others, are especially susceptible to unwanted loneliness.
Regarding gender, It affects women (14.8%) more than men (12.1%) and many of those who suffer from this loneliness claim to have been in this situation for around six years (chronic unwanted loneliness).
The loneliness of chronic patients. EFE/Luca Zennaro
Main causes of unwanted loneliness
Las Perceived causes of unwanted loneliness in the general population are exogenous nature in most cases (79.1%), highlighting the following:
- Lack of coexistence or family or social support (57.3%)especially due to the fact of living far from the family (11.9%), having stopped living with the people with whom they lived (10.5%) or due to the feeling of incomprehension perceived by those who met us. surround (8.2%).
- Work reality (11.1%), especially the fact of feeling like you have too much work and little time for leisure (6,2 %).
- Isolation caused by the environment (8.6%)mainly of a geographical nature (4.3%).
- Dedication to the care of third parties (2.1%). Only a small percentage of the population (19.1%) attributes the unwanted feeling of loneliness to endogenous causes, related to difficulty relating to other people (12.7%) and poor health (6.4%).
Las most perceived causes of unwanted loneliness, according to the study of Josefa Rosson the lack of coexistence and family or social support, especially due to the fact of residing far from the family.
For those over 75 years of age, factors such as retirement, widowhood and health problems disabling contribute significantly to generate the feeling of loneliness.
Unwanted loneliness: consequences
Among the main consequences for mental healththere are mood disorders such as the anxiety (37.8% prevalence), the Depression (39.3% prevalence) and behavioral disorders such as violencealcoholism or suicide, among others.
However, unwanted loneliness is a multifactorial phenomenon in which they come into play reasons:
- The fact of living alone.
- Life events related to the loss of loved ones or the alteration of people’s daily relationships.
- Age, especially in the last stage of life.
- Disability and/or poor health.
- The low level of income.
Public health and unwanted loneliness: impact of costs
Today, unwanted loneliness affects beyond and is also reflected in public health, especially to economic level. In fact, according to the “Report on unwanted loneliness in older adults” this situation represents a annual cost of 14,141 million euros.
He spending on health servicesespecially in specialist doctors and emergencies, even amounts to 5,605 million euros annually.
On the other hand, the medication consumption, highlighting tranquilizers and antidepressants, represents an additional cost of 495 million euros. On the whole, Health costs reach around 6,101 million euros annually.
Older adults may experience unwanted loneliness, both emotional and due to lack of intimate support or a family environment that generates security. EFE/EPA/YOAN VALAT
Recommendations to build a less lonely future
The study proposes a series of recommendations to combat unwanted loneliness. Among them, stands out: give visibility to the problem through awareness campaigns y creating intergenerational strategies where young people are included, the creation of training courses for civil society, family members and professional caregivers, providing them with the proper tools to deal with loneliness of those around them.
In addition, other recommendations especially for older people would be: a good future planningbased on the work of personal initiative, the maintenance of activitythe preservation of family supportthe involvement with the neighborhood and community environment and the discovery of novel social activities.
It’s time to act: clarifications from other experts
“Let’s talk about Soledad. It’s time to act” is the title of the fifth edition of the cycle of ‘PSN Meetings: Debating from values’ launched by National Health Insurancea business group whose objective is to provide a comprehensive service to university professionals and their professional associations.
These conference cycles have vocation to become a space for discussionn on a wide variety of topics of professional interest, this case is about the problem of Unwanted Loneliness.
In the session the doctor Clinical and Health Psychology, Marta Mirethas analyzed the issue to try to clarify who is most affected by unwanted loneliness and make visible the risks of this situation.
“There are factors, especially in Mediterranean countries, that can be determining factors in the number of elderly people living alone: single people who have fewer or no children. Now there are more households with only one person, it is a very important generational change. Added to this is that before women entered the workforce, grandparents lived at home, because there was an implicit responsibility to take care of our elders. Now this intergenerational care is more difficult,” explains Miret.
Miret also wanted to point out and conclude that “feeling alone is not the same as being alone.”
In this way, unwanted loneliness: “it is a subjective, unchosen and negative experience of lack of satisfactory social relationships” concludes the expert from National Health Insurance.
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