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Older people's experiences of loneliness in the UK: does gender matter?
- Authors:
- VICTOR Christina R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Society, 5(1), January 2006, pp.27-38.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study investigates whether there are differences in the nature and extent of loneliness amongst older men and women in contemporary Britain. Loneliness was measured using a self-report four-point scale in a nationally representative survey of people aged 65+ living in the community. Survey response rate was 77 per cent and the sample of 999 approximates to that of the general population. Approximately half of our sample 53 per cent were women. Compared with males in the sample women were significantly more likely to be widowed, live alone and have direct contact with friends and relatives. Preliminary analysis identified statistically significant differences between men and women in and self-reported loneliness (and changes over the previous decade). Ordered logistic regression, indicated that gender was no longer independently associated with loneliness once the confounding influences of marital status, age and living arrangement were excluded. The overall self-reported prevalence of severe loneliness shows little difference between men and women, challenging the stereotype that loneliness is a specifically female experience.
Families and caring amongst older people in South Asian communities in the UK: a pilot study
- Authors:
- VICTOR Christina R., MARTIN Wendy, ZUBAIR Maria
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 2012, pp.81-96.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The increasing ethnic and cultural diversity of the older population of the UK raises the need for the development of health and social care services which reflect this diversity. The Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities may be of greater need of care and support in older age, due to the considerable disadvantage experienced by these 2 populations across a range of parameters. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the experiences of care and support described by older people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi origins within the context of family and social networks. Semi-structured interviews were held with a small but diverse sample of 20 older Bangladeshi and Pakistani women and men aged 50 years and older. The findings suggest that, much like the trend within the general population, the family remains central in the provision of care and support for these ethnic minority older people. The article concludes by considering the implications this has for social care policy and practice.
The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great Britain
- Authors:
- VICTOR Christina R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 25(3), May 2005, pp.357-375.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article examines the prevalence of loneliness amongst older people in Great Britain. The risk factors for loneliness are examined using a conceptual model of vulnerability and protective factors derived from a model of depression. Loneliness was measured using a self-rating scale, and measures of socio-demographic status and health/social resources were included. Interviews were undertaken with 999 people aged 65 or more years living in their own homes, and the sample was broadly representative of the population in 2001. Among them the prevalence of ‘severe loneliness’ was seven per cent, indicating little change over five decades. Six independent vulnerability factors for loneliness were identified: marital status, increases in loneliness over the previous decade, increases in time alone over the previous decade; elevated mental morbidity; poor current health; and poorer health in old age than expected. Advanced age and possession of post-basic education were independently protective of loneliness. In conclusion, the authors identify three loneliness pathways in later life: continuation of a long-established attribute, late-onset loneliness, and decreasing loneliness.
Ageing, health and care
- Author:
- VICTOR Christina R.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 224p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This publication provides an overview of the health status of older people. It discusses how older people define and understand the meaning of health in old age; the nature of health problems and policy and service responses; and an examination of the variability of health experiences of older people with gender, age socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Chapter One provides the demographic context and discusses how older people understand their health. Chapters Two and Three consider the different aspects of physical health in old age, including the methodological difficulties of studying health in old age and the stereotype view that older people's health experiences are the same. Chapter Four focuses on mental health, covering dementia, cognitive impairment, depression and suicide. Chapter Five looks at health and lifestyle including diet, exercise and the 'long history of trying to live longer'. Chapter Six covers health and social care provision and the relationship with informal care. Chapter Seven looks at the likely health experiences of the next generation of older people and the potential impacts of an ageing population in a global context. Each chapter includes key definitions of terms, activities, further reading and useful websites. The publication is part of the Ageing and the Life Course series.