Research On The Current Status And Contributing Factors Of Loneliness Of The Elderly

Along with the wide spread of the aging in the world,Mental health problems of the elderly caused the concern of the international community.Loneliness is a kind of negative feeling appears when people feel dissatisfied with their intimate relationships and social interactions.The study of loneliness is an important area of psychology,it is one of the core elements that affect the mental health status and life satisfaction of the elderly.Paying attention to the status of loneliness and the influencing factors of the elderly is beneficial to know the mental health status and the life care needs of the elderly in the new period of China,and it can provide the basic support for the relevant departments to formulate the policies and measures to deal with the loneliness of the elderly.This paper uses method of quantitative research,the survey interviewed senior citizens who are aged 60 years and over in the survey period.Through sample survey and interview,we have a comprehensive understanding of the basic living conditions of the elderly.the content of the survey includs family,economy,health status,nursing services,spiritual and cultural life and so on.This study used the data of Shandong Province for the fourth survey of the living conditions of the elderly in the country,the total sample amount was 17669.The data was processed and quantified by EXCEL and SPSS21.0,and the condition of loneliness and the influencing factors of the elderly were systematically studied and discussed by the method of ordinal regression.By analying the overall degree of loneliness of the elderly,the differences in the seniors’loneliness in gender,age,marital status,economic status,cultural life and other variables,and the influence of individual,family,economic and social on the loneliness of the elderly.The results are:1.The overall level of loneliness of the elderly is not high,but loneliness is still a problem,which needs our attention.2.The loneliness level of the elderly has significant differences on gender,age,urban and rural,cultural degree,marriage status,children’s situation,living mode,decision-making power of family major expenditure,recreational activities and housing conditions,and there is no significant distinction in ethnicity.Moreover,the loneliness of elderly people with religious beliefs is higher than that of non-religious elderly people.3.Through multi-factors ordinal regression,under the control of other variables,the explanatory power of the individual-level variables on elderly loneliness is not obvious.The influence of family and economic and social factors on the loneliness of the elderly is very significant,with good explanatory power and predictability.According to the above results,this paper proposes that improving the loneliness and the quality of life of the elderly requires the joint efforts of all parties.For individuals,the elderly should pay attention to healthy diet and moderate exercise to maintain good health.From the family perspective,the accompanying family members,the care of children,and the family atmosphere of equality and democracy are important measures to alleviate the loneliness of the elderly.In terms of society,the government should strive to improve the welfare and medical security of the elderly,improve health care service,enhance the publicity of mental health knowledge,and reduce the worries of the elderly.