The Effects of Culture on the Meaning of Loneliness

The present study examined the influence of culturalbackground on the experience of loneliness. Threehundred and seventy five participants from NorthAmerica and 375 from Croatia volunteered to answer an82 item questionnaire which examined the quality oftheir loneliness experiences. The factors whichcomprise the experience of loneliness are Emotionaldistress, Social inadequacy and alienation, Growth anddiscovery, Interpersonal isolation, andSelf-alienation. Results indicated that culturalbackground, indeed, affects the experience ofloneliness. North Americans scored higher on all fivefactors, and a similar trend was evident when men andwomen were compared across cultures.     

Index of Authors Volume 53, 2001

Social Indicators Research -     

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.     

Identities in Transition: Women Caregivers in Bereavement

Population aging and longevity due to medical advances over the past few decades have meant that the approximately 44 million caregivers in the United States and eight million caregivers in Canada must provide more intensive levels of care and for longer periods of time. Consequently, caregivers are often profoundly affected by their caregiving role in emotional, psychological, physical, and financial ways. Thirty years of research on this population have helped to create a caregiver profile and identify the significant challenges for caregivers. One area explored to a much lesser extent is the postcaregiving period, when the caregiver transitions into a period of bereavement. This period can be particularly challenging for caregivers given the commitment inherent in the caregiving process. Research has shown that the emotional reactions of caregivers as well as practical challenges do not end with the death of the care recipient. In fact, complex realities, tensions, and responses continue well after the death into the postcaregiving period. This study of bereaved women caregivers explored their lived experiences in the postcaregiving phase. One central theme emerged and suggested that the experience of caregiving had an effect on the caregivers’ identities, which then influenced their bereavement processes and experiences.