Abstract

Background: Loneliness is characterised as an unpleasant, painful, anxious longing for another person or persons, occurring when one is feeling rejected, alienated or not understood by others and misses the company of others for social activities and emotional intimacy. The purpose of this study was to compare the level of perceived social and emotional loneliness in two groups of elderly people, one in institutions/retirement homes and the other in their homes/households, and determine to which extent loneliness was linked with self-esteem and sociodemographic variables of the examinees. Subjects and Methods: In order to gather primary data, a random sample of 379 participants from Varazdin and Medimurje County was selected, with 178 participants living in their homes and 201 institutionalized in retirement homes. The following questionnaires were used as the research instruments: Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Emotional and Social Loneliness Scale, Self-Care Scale, and a semi-standardized questionnaire of sociodemographic data that was designed for the needs of this study. Results: The results showed that the participants who live in retirement homes and have a lower level of education and worrisome health conditions also have a lower level of self-esteem, while the unmarried participants showed a higher level of loneliness in love and family. The results of those living in their home showed that the participants older than 85 estimate their self-esteem the lowest and had the highest level of social loneliness and loneliness in love. Conclusion: Given that loneliness is a complex notion, it is necessary to conduct further research from different perspectives in order to develop prevention models, and thus prevent the consequences of loneliness, with the aim of achieving increased quality of life for the elderly.