A Study Investigating the relationship between Psychological Distress and Loneliness and Living Alone in Older Adults.

Loneliness: Loneliness is an uncomfortable and distressing experience as is Psychological Distress (PD). In this study older adults psychological distress and loneliness was assessed for a relationship. Also, older adults who live alone and live with others were investigated for differences in psychological distress. Method: 102 older adults participated in this study. Of the participants 37 were male and 65 were female. Participants completed the Modified 5 – item UCLA Scale of Loneliness and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Results: No difference was found between older adults who lived alone and those who lived with others on psychological distress. There was also no relationship between levels of loneliness and psychological distress in the study sample. Implications of the study findings, strengths, limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed