Loneliness in older people from Spain and Mexico: a comparative analysis

Résumé 0

It has been found that suffering loneliness increases the probability of anxiety and depression. The importance of studying loneliness is due to the negative consequences that this phenomenon can generate on the mental and physical health of elderly people. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of loneliness in old age and their form of coexistence, and determine whether there are differences depending on the cultural group analyzed, Spain or Mexico. A quantitative design with a comparative scope was used. A total number of 691 older adults (40.2% men and 59.8% women) age 60 years-old or older from Spain (42.7%) and Mexico (57.3%) were selected to take part in this study through convenience sampling. Instruments included a sociodemographic data section, consisting of questions about age, sex, education, marital status and with whom the participants lived. Also the ESTE scale of loneliness was used, which measures the existing deficits in the support of the individual at family, marital and social level, as well as the feelings resulting from such deficits. Hypothesis tests were processed using the χ2 coefficient, the contingency coefficient and the t-test for independent samples, with a significance level of p ≤. 050. Results showed that cultural differences according to the country of origin have weight on the prevalence of situations of loneliness in the elderly. Evidence was found that in both samples, demographic characteristics such as sex, education, and marital status, make a difference in the characterization of loneliness, and that there is a relationship between the demographic factors of elderly people and the onset of loneliness. The study underlines the importance that cultural background and demographic characteristics have on loneliness and how these aspects should be considered as risk factors for the development of loneliness in the older adults.