Poczucie samotności jako czynnik warunkujący jakość życia osób powyżej 65. roku życia

Introduction. Loneliness is a universal phenomenon; timeless, supra-cultural, ahistorical, present in the life of every human being and it has become one of the signs of present times. According to the theory of withdrawals, the elderlies slowly retreat from social life and social roles hitherto performed, making themselves vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. Aim. Assessment of loneliness and selected determinants concerning loneliness and the evaluation of the relationship between a sense of loneliness and the quality of life among people over 65 years of age. Material and methods. The study was conducted in a group of 100 people over 65 years of age living in the Lublin province. The questionnaire consisted of two standardized research tools: De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and instruments assessing quality of life WHOQOL-AGE. Results. The average result on the loneliness scale in the study group of people over 65 was 27.62 points out of 55 possible to obtain. The sociodemographic variables determining the level of loneliness in the study group were: age, marital status and the number of people living in the household (p < 0.05). The average value of the quality of life of the respondents was 64.45 points. (SD = 13.47). Statistical analysis of the relationship between quality of life and sense of loneliness showed significant strong negative correlations at the level of p < 0.001. Conclusions. The sense of loneliness is a strong determinant of the quality of life assessment in people over 65.