A study of loneliness among a national sample of Swedish elderly.

Abstract

This study examined: 1) the loneliness experienced by a representative sample of persons from Sweden in 1986, and 2) the relative impact of age, gender, household size, subjective health assessments, and two indicators of income adequacy on loneliness. The results are based on the responses to a telephone survey, conducted by SIFO, of a weighted subsample of 212 persons aged 65+. The overall sample consisted of 1005 person 16 years of age and older. In general, only a minority (27%) of the Swedish elderly indicated loneliness was at least a somewhat serious problem. Cross-tabular, and discriminant function analysis showed that loneliness was associated with being older, being alone, and poor self-reported health. These findings are compared to those of other Swedish and American studies. Additionally, implications with regard to Swedish policy are suggested.