Elderly Health Journal

Introduction: Old people appear to be most prone to loneliness and depression perhaps because of decrease in their ability in daily livings, increase in morbidity, loss of close ties caused by loss of friends and spouses. This study was conducted for investigation of the loneliness and its related factors in elderly people in Yazd.

Methods: In this cross sectional study, 200 old people (over 60 years old) from three zone; health centers, nursing home and retirement center by convenient sampling method. Data was collected by UCLA Loneliness Scale that was consisting of 20 items for loneliness measurement. Scores 41 and more defined as loneliness. Collected data was analyzed by proper statistical tests with SPSS software.

Results: Results showed that 71 % of subjects had Not Feel Lonely, 24 % moderate and 5 % severe felling of loneliness. Factors such as level of education, marital status, numbers of daughter and sons, previous job, residence site, current job status, living in nursing home, insufficient income, place of praying, sleep quantity and quality of sleep and feeling of healthy were associated with  loneliness status (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our findings showed loneliness is common in elderly that support needs for more investigations and attention to loneliness related factors, educational courses conduction for family to take care of their elders, preparing of recreational measures and social support groups to decrease the loneliness in old people and so they spend this period by good and healthy sensation.