| 1. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Ensamhet bland äldre personer i Norden
- 2020
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rapporten presenterar översikter av tidigare forskning och analyser av känslan av ensamhet bland äldre personer. Överlag finns det kunskap om ensamhetens konsekvenser för ohälsa, men det behövs ytterligare forskning där starkare slutsatser kan dras om sambandens riktning, och ett tydligare fokus på ensamhet i gruppen äldre personer. En systematisk översikt visar att det finns god kunskap om en del faktorer som ökar risken för ensamhet, men mer forskning behövs om andra potentiella riskfaktorer. Analyserna visar en relativt låg och stabil förekomst av ensamhet bland äldre personer i Norden, samt att ohälsa och olika indikatorer för social exkludering (t.ex. bristande sociala relationer, otillräcklig inkomst, samt otrygghet i närområdet) har samband med ensamhet. Slutligen konstateras att forskningen om nordiska interventioner för att minska ensamhet bland äldre personer är begränsad.
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| 2. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden : A national longitudinal study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Routledge. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 19:5, s. 409-417
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Longitudinal research on loneliness in old age has rarely considered loneliness separately for men and women, despite gender differences in life experiences. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which older women and men (70+) report feelings of loneliness with a focus on: (a) changes in reported loneliness as people age, and (b) which factors predict loneliness.Method: Data from the 2004 and 2011 waves of SWEOLD, a longitudinal national survey, was used (n = 587). The prediction of loneliness in 2011 by variables measured in 2004 and 2004–2011 variable change scores was examined in three logistic regression models: total sample, women and men. Variables in the models included: gender, age, education, mobility problems, depression, widowhood and social contacts.Results: Older people moved into and out of frequent loneliness over time, although there was a general increase in loneliness with age. Loneliness at baseline, depression increment and recent widowhood were significant predictors of loneliness in all three multivariable models. Widowhood, depression, mobility problems and mobility reduction predicted loneliness uniquely in the model for women; while low level of social contacts and social contact reduction predicted loneliness uniquely in the model for men.Conclusion: This study challenges the notion that feelings of loneliness in old age are stable. It also identifies important gender differences in prevalence and predictors of loneliness. Knowledge about such differences is crucial for the development of effective policy and interventions to combat loneliness in later life.
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| 3. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Correlates of social and emotional loneliness in older people : evidence from an English community study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 18:4, s. 504-514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Loneliness is an important influence on quality of life in old age, and has been conceptualised as consisting of two dimensions, social and emotional. This paper describes analyses that sought to produce models of social and emotional loneliness in older people, using demographic, psychological and health, and social variables.Method: Older people (aged 65+, N=1255) from the Barnsley metropolitan area of the United Kingdom were recruited randomly from within a stratified sampling frame, and received a questionnaire-based interview (response rate: 68.1%). The questionnaire contained items and scales on demographic, psychological and health and social characteristics, and a validated measure of loneliness that assesses both social and emotional loneliness.Results: Of the respondents, 7.7% were found to be severely or very severely lonely, while another 38.3% were moderately lonely. Social and Emotional Loneliness shared 19.36% variance. Being male, being widowed, low well-being, low self-esteem, low income comfort, low contact with family, low contact with friends, low Activity, low Perceived Community Integration, and receipt of community care were significant predictors of Social Loneliness (R=.50, R2=.25, F(18, 979)=18.17, p<.001). Being widowed, low well-being, low self-esteem, high activity restriction, low income comfort, and non-receipt of informal care were significant predictors of Emotional Loneliness (R=.55, R2=.30, F(18, 973)=23.00, p<.001).Conclusion: This study provides further empirical support for the conceptual separation of emotional and social loneliness. Consequently, policy on loneliness in older people should be directed to developing a range of divergent intervention strategies if both emotional and social loneliness are to be reduced.
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| 4. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Planned and Unplanned Hospital Admissions and Their Relationship with Social Factors : Findings from a National, Prospective Study of People Aged 76 Years or Older
- 2018
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Ingår i: Health Services Research. - : Wiley. - 0017-9124 .- 1475-6773. ; 53:6, s. 4248-4267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Data Sources/Study Setting To examine the relationship between social factors and planned and unplanned hospital admissions among older people. 2011 data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) and data from the Swedish National Patient Register until December 31, 2012. Study Design Data Collection The study had a prospective design. Data were analyzed via Cox proportional hazard regressions with variables entered as blocks (social factors, sociodemographic and ability factors, health factors). Data were collected via interviews with people aged 76+ (n = 931). Principal Findings Conclusions Living in institutions was negatively associated with planned admissions (hazard ratio (HR): 0.29; confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.88), while being in receipt of home help was positively associated with unplanned admissions (HR: 1.57; CI: 1.15-2.14). Low levels of social contacts and social activity predicted unplanned admissions in bivariate analyses only. Higher ability to deal with public authorities was positively associated with planned admissions (HR: 1.77; CI: 1.13-2.78) and negatively associated with unplanned admissions, although the latter association was only significant in the bivariate analysis. Hospital admissions are not only due to health problems but are also influenced by the social care situation and by the ability to deal with public authorities.
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| 5. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Receipt of Formal and Informal Help with Specific Care Tasks among Older People Living in their Own Home. National Trends over Two Decades
- 2018
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Ingår i: Social Policy & Administration. - : Wiley. - 0144-5596 .- 1467-9515. ; 52:1, s. 91-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sweden is seen as a typical example of a social democratic welfare regime, with universal and generous welfare policies. However, in the last decades, there have been substantial reductions in the Swedish provision of care for older people. This study aimed to examine trends in sources of care-receipt in older people (77+) living in their own home and with a perceived need for help with two specific tasks: house cleaning and/or food shopping. Trends in care-receipt were examined in relation to gender, living alone, having children and socio-economic position. Data from the 1992, 2002 and 2011 data collection waves of the national study, Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD), were used. Response rates varied between 86 and 95 per cent, and the sample represents the population well. Trends and differences between groups were explored in bivariate and logistic regression analyses. There was a reduction in formal care-receipt regarding house cleaning and food shopping over the study period. It was more common for women than men to receive formal care, and more common for men than women to receive informal care. Reductions in formal care have affected older women more than older men. Still, living alone was the most influential factor in care-receipt, associated with a greater likelihood of formal care-receipt and a lower likelihood of informal care-receipt. It can be concluded that public responsibility for care is becoming more narrowly defined in Sweden, and that more responsibility for care is placed on persons in need of care and their families.
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| 6. |
- Vethanayagam, Natalie, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding help-seeking in older people with urinary incontinence : an interview study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Health & Social Care in the Community. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0966-0410 .- 1365-2524. ; 25:3, s. 1061-1069
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) increases with age and can negatively affect quality of life. However, relatively few older people with UI seek treatment. The aim of this study was to explore the views of older people with UI on the process of seeking help. Older people with UI were recruited to the study from three continence services in the north of England: a geriatrician-led hospital outpatient clinic (n = 18), a community-based nurse-led service (n = 22) and a consultant gynaecologist-led service specialising in surgical treatment (n = 10). Participants took part in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and underwent thematic content analysis. Three main themes emerged: Being brushed aside, in which participants expressed the feeling that general practitioners did not prioritise or recognise their concerns; Putting up with it, in which participants delayed seeking help for their UI due to various reasons including embarrassment, the development of coping mechanisms, perceiving UI as a normal part of the ageing process, or being unaware that help was available; and Something has to be done, in which help-seeking was prompted by the recognition that their UI was a serious problem, whether as a result of experiencing UI in public, the remark of a relative, the belief that they had a serious illness or the detection of UI during comprehensive geriatric assessment. Greater awareness that UI is a treatable condition and not a normal part of ageing is needed in the population and among health professionals. Comprehensive geriatric assessment appeared an important trigger for referral and treatment in our participants. Screening questions by healthcare professionals could be a means to identify, assess and treat older people with UI.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-
(författare)
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Correlates and predictors of loneliness in old age : Evidence from Sweden and England
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is important to identify factors associated with loneliness in older people if effective policies and strategies to prevent and reduce loneliness are to be developed. In this presentation two studies that identify factors associated with loneliness in old age are reported. Strengths and weaknesses of the studies, which differ in design and focus, shed light on issues of importance for future studies on loneliness.The first study was based on data from two waves of SWEOLD, a Swedish longitudinal national survey study (N=613). It aimed to examine the extent to which older people (70+) report feelings of loneliness with a focus on changes in loneliness over time, and on factors predicting loneliness in women and men, respectively. This study showed that older people moved in and out of loneliness over time, but there was a general increase in loneliness as they aged. It also identified gender differences in both incidence and risk factors.The second study was based on data from the Barnsley Social Exclusion in Old Age Study, an English cross-sectional community survey (N=1255), and aimed to identify risk factors for social and emotional loneliness in older people (65+). This study identified different, as well as shared, risk factors for social and emotional loneliness, thereby providing further empirical support for the conceptual separation of emotional and social loneliness.Taken together, these studies demonstrate the importance of: 1) longitudinal research in order to determine risk factors for loneliness; 2) considering women and men separately; and 3) looking at social and emotional loneliness separately. These approaches in combination will aid the development of effective interventions to reduce loneliness in the older population and to ensure those interventions are targeted at the appropriate groups.
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| 9. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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A social exclusion perspective on loneliness in older adults in the Nordic countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 19:2, s. 175-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several factors associated with loneliness are also considered indicators of social exclusion. While loneliness has been proposed as an outcome of social exclusion, there is limited empirical evidence of a link. This study examines the associations between social exclusion indicators and loneliness in older adults (60+ years) in four Nordic countries. Data from four waves of the European Social Survey were pooled, providing a total of 7755 respondents (Denmark n = 1647; Finland n = 2501, Norway n = 1540; Sweden n = 2067). Measures of loneliness, demographic characteristics, health, and eight indicators of social exclusion were selected from the survey for analysis. Country-specific and total sample hierarchical logistic regression models of loneliness were developed. Significant model improvement occurred for all models after social exclusion indicators were added to models containing only demographic and health variables. Country models explained between 15.1 (Finland) and 21.5% (Sweden) of the variance in loneliness. Lower frequency of social contacts and living alone compared to in a two-person household was associated with a higher probability of loneliness in all countries, while other indicators were associated with loneliness in specific countries: lower neighbourhood safety (Sweden and Denmark); income concern (Sweden and Finland); and no emotional support (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden). A robust relationship was apparent between indicators of social exclusion and loneliness with the direction of associations being highly consistent across countries, even if their strength and statistical significance varied. Social exclusion has considerable potential for understanding and addressing risk factors for loneliness.
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