Loneliness, health and depression in older males
Loneliness, health and depression in older males
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DOI：
10.1080/1360786031000101193
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发表时间：
2003-05-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Neville, S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Alpass, FM;Neville, S
孤独和社会孤立，特别是在老年人身上，已经被证明会影响心理社会健康。孤独感与老年人的慢性病和自我评估的健康有关，研究人员表示，老年人的孤独感和心理健康之间存在着重要的关系，特别是在抑郁症方面。这项研究调查了217名老年男性(大于或等于65岁)的孤独、健康和抑郁之间的关系。参与者完成了孤独、社会支持、抑郁和身体健康的自我报告。回归分析表明，疾病或残疾的诊断与抑郁无关，然而自我报告的健康与抑郁有关，报告健康状况较差的人经历更严重的抑郁。社会支持变量与抑郁无关。与抑郁最重要的关系是孤独，孤独的男性在老年抑郁量表(GDS)上的得分较高。尽管研究表明，抑郁症通常是老年人健康状况下降和功能受损的反应，但目前的研究结果表明，社交孤立也可能影响抑郁症的体验。与年龄相关的损失，如失去职业认同感、身体活动能力以及不可避免的失去家人和朋友，都会影响一个人维持关系和独立的能力，这反过来可能导致抑郁症状的更高发生率。
Loneliness and social isolation, particularly in the older adult, have been shown to influence psychosocial well-being. Loneliness has been related to chronic illness and self-rated health in older adults, and researchers suggest there is an important relationship between loneliness and psychological well-being in older adults particularly in the area of depression. This study investigated relationships between loneliness, health, and depression in 217 older men (greater than or equal to65 years). Participants completed self-report measures of loneliness, social support, depression, and physical health. Regression analysis showed that a diagnosis of illness or disability was unrelated to depression, however self-reported health was associated with depression, with those reporting poorer health experiencing greater depression. Social support variables were unrelated to depression. The most significant relationship to depression was that of loneliness, with lonelier men reporting higher scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Although research suggests that depression is often a response to declining health and functional impairment in the older adult, the present findings suggest that social isolation may also influence the experience of depression. Age-related losses such as loss of professional identity, physical mobility and the inevitable loss of family and friends can affect a person's ability to maintain relationships and independence, which in turn may lead to a higher incidence of depressive symptoms.