title: Self- and other-oriented potential lifetime traumatic events as predictors of loneliness in the second half of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the relationship between self- and other-oriented potential lifetime traumatic events (PLTE) and loneliness at the second half of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was comprised of 7446 respondents who completed the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2006 psychosocial questionnaire. PLTE were classified into self-oriented PLTE, defined as traumatic events that primarily inflict the self (e.g., being abused by parents) and other-oriented PLTE, defined as events that affect the self by primarily targeting others (e.g., death of one's child). We evaluated the role of self- and other-oriented PLTE as predictors of loneliness, as evaluated by the short R-UCLA. Analyses were stratified by age at which trauma happened categorized into four life periods (0-17, 18-30, 31-49, 50+).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that PLTE is positively related to loneliness. Moreover, the number of other-oriented PLTE, and even more pronouncedly self-oriented PLTE, that happened up until adulthood were the strongest predictors of loneliness at the second half of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study suggests that self- and other-oriented PLTE reported to have occurred early in life are associated with perceived loneliness in the second half of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel. ypalgi@research.haifa.ac.il
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Palgi
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrira
authors.forename: Menachem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Ezra
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiovitz-Ezra
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ayalon
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019455:Self Psychology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*