Loneliness and Psychological Distress among Older adults

Abstract

Loneliness and psychological distress are significant issues affecting elderly individuals, influencing their overall well-being and quality of life. Addressing loneliness and psychological distress among the elderly is vital for improving their health outcomes and quality of life. Collaborative efforts from healthcare providers, family, and community resources are necessary to create supportive environments for older adults. The present study was conducted to examine the prevalence and gender difference of loneliness and psychological distress among older adults. A Descriptive survey method was done to identify the participants in and around of Mysore district and convenient sampling method was applied for data collection. A total of 120 sample who are in the age of above 60 years were selected which included 60 male and 60 female older adults. The data was collected by using UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale (Version 3) by  Daniel W. Russell and Psychological Distress : Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) by Ronald C. Kessler and Mroczek. The data was then analyzed through Mean, sd, Correlation and t-test for the comparison of mean scores between groups with the help of SPSS 21. The findings of the study revealed that 55% of the samples have shown a low level of loneliness and 31.7% of the sample have reported that lesser psychological distress. In further the results have shown that there is a significant positive association between loneliness and Psychological distress among older adults where as the results of an independent sample t test revealed that there is no gender difference in loneliness and psychological distress among older adults. These results can be implemented in designing the intervention programs to the older adults.