Sense-Making of Loneliness and Exclusion From Social Relations Among Older Adults in Sweden

Axel Ågren · George Th. Pavlidis

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Aging and Gerontology Research Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues Health disparities and outcomes

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Loneliness and exclusion from social relations (ESR) are frequently addressed as public health issues for older adults. Public discourses potentially influence how loneliness and ESR are understood in society and experienced by the individual. The aim of this study was to analyze how older adults in different parts of Sweden use the discourses and concepts available to them to describe experiences of ESR and loneliness, and how these descriptions are used to construct a self-identity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 individuals (14 men, 16 women) aged 67-87 years and living in Sweden. Emphasis was, in line with perspectives of discursive psychology, on how individuals draw on discourses to make sense of experiences. The empirical material was analyzed through an inductive process where we were open to finding concepts and themes. RESULTS: Most participants emphasized the importance of not being lonely, considered achievable through maintaining an active lifestyle. "Othering" was taking place, where a general image of a "lonely" older adult was referred to when speaking about "others" loneliness. Those who expressed feelings of loneliness related these feelings to loss, being omitted, and other difficult life circumstances. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: States of ESR were discussed more comfortably than loneliness, whereas various linguistic resources were used to distance themselves from loneliness. These findings indicate the need for further studies elaborating on how older adults make sense of ESR and loneliness and what implications this has for older adults' well-being and identity making.

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2006Constructing Grounded Theory. A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis 2006A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data 2016Code Saturation Versus Meaning Saturation 2012Interviews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing 2002Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method 1992Modernity and Self-Identity, Self and Society in the Late Modern Age 1996Realities and Relationships: Soundings in Social Construction.2010Inventory and analysis of definitions of social participation found in the aging literature: Proposed taxonomy of social activities

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