title: The importance of emotional and social isolation to loneliness among very old rural adults.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of emotional and social isolation to loneliness among very old rural adults. The sample (N = 119) was selected using a compact area cluster sampling design. Multiple regression analysis showed that emotional isolation--more specifically, the loss of spouse--accounted for more loneliness than social isolation. Hearing acuity and visits with siblings (social isolation variables) were also significant predictors of loneliness. The implications for loneliness interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro 27412-5001.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dugan
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Kivett
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012424:Rural Population; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012801:Sibling Relations; D012934:Social Isolation; D013029:Space-Time Clustering