Eenzaamheid bij ouderen en kenmerken van de omgeving

Samenvatting

The question of interest is whether differences between regions, rural and urban communities and neighbourhoods contribute to older adult loneliness, when health and social circumstances are also taken into account. The data are derived from nine research projects involving older persons in several regions in the Netherlands. Six were carried out by community Health Departments (GGD's) in 's-Hertogenbosch, Oss, Drenthe, Nijmegen, the Achterhoek and in the city triangle Apeldoorn-Deventer-Zutphen. Three other data sets derive from the NESTOR-program 'Living arrangements and social networks of older adults' (LSN), in which older adults in Amsterdam and surroundings, Zwolle and surroundings and Oss and surroundings participated. The LSN-respondents were distinguished by region, leading to three sub-populations (LSN-West, LSN-East and LSN-South). Multivariate multilevel regression analysis show that, taking into account the health and social circumstances of the older adults, regional differences in loneliness are small, and that living in an urbanised area and in a neighbourhood with relatively few older people contributes to more intense feelings of loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)