Coping with Loneliness and Drug Use in Young Adults

Loneliness is generally a prevailingexperience which is particularly familiar toadolescents and young adults. It is asubjective experience which is influenced byone's personality, life experiences, andsituational variables. The present studyexamined the influence of Ecstasy (MDMA) useon the coping strategies of loneliness. The Ecstasy users were compared to Non-Ecstasy users and to a group of young adults in the general population who are non users of drugs. A total of 818 participants volunteered to answer a 34-item yes/no questionnaire, reflecting on their loneliness experiences and the ways inwhich they coped with it. The strategies which were examined included Acceptance and reflection, Self-development and understanding, Social supportnetwork, Distancing and denial, Religion andfaith and Increased activity. Resultsrevealed significant differences between thescores of the Ecstasy users and the othergroups. Gender differences between and withinthe groups were also examined.     

Drug Withdrawal and Coping With Loneliness

Loneliness is a prevailing experience which is particularly familiar to adolescents and young adults. It is a subjective experience which is influenced by one’s personality, life experiences, and situational variables. The present study examined the influence of drug cessation on coping with loneliness. Drug abusers, during their stay in detox centers, were compared to drug abusers who participated in a methadone maintenance program and those two groups were compared to a group of adults in the general population who are non users of drugs. A total of 304 participants volunteered to answer a 34-item yes/no questionnaire, reflecting on their loneliness experiences and how they coped with it. The factors which compose the beneficial coping strategies are– Acceptance and reflection, Self-development and understanding, Social support network, Distancing and denial, Religion and faith, and Increased activity. Results indicated significant differences in the manner in which the three groups cope with loneliness.     

Coping with loneliness among the terminally ill

Loneliness is a universal phenomenon, and its pain is intensified by a diagnosis of a terminal illness. The present study is an investigation of the strategies used by patients with Multiple sclerosis (MS), by individuals diagnosed with cancer, and by the general population to cope with loneliness. Three hundred and twenty nine MS patients, 315 cancer patients, and 391 participants from the general population answered a 34-item questionnaire. Results indicated that with the exception of Reflection and acceptance, Distancing and denial, and Increased activity, the three groups cope with loneliness significantly differently.     

Alienation and Domestic Abuse: How Abused Women Cope with Loneliness

This study explored the manner in which abused women cope with loneliness. Eighty women, victims of domestic abuse, were compared to 84 women from the general population who have had no history of abusive relationships. A 34-item yes/no loneliness questionnaire was utilized in order to compare the beneficial ways of coping with loneliness in the two samples. The questionnaire is comprised of six factors, namely Reflection and acceptance, Self-development and understanding, Social support network, Distancing and denial, Religion and faith and Increased activity. Results confirmed that abused women, indeed, cope with loneliness differently than the general population does. The abused women scored significantly higher on the Self-development and understanding, Distancing and denial and the Religion and faith subscales.     

The Lonely and Homeless: Causes and Consequences

Both, homelessness and loneliness are quite pervasive in North America. This study compared the causes of the loneliness experienced by the homeless to that of the general population. Two hundred and sixty six homeless and five hundred and ninety five men and women from the general population answered a 30 item yes/no questionnaire. The causes of loneliness were composed of the following five factors: Personal inadequacy, Developmental deficits, Unfulfilling intimate relationships, Relocation/significant separations, and Social marginality. The present results indicated that the causes of homeless loneliness are significantly different from those of the general population.