The Cohesion between living situation, loneliness, depressive symptoms, the preference for solitude and emotional dampening in a Dutch sample of older adults

Abstract

This research aimed to give some insight into the unique and combined effects of living situation, loneliness, depressive symptoms, the preference for solitude and emotional dampeing on the wellbeing of older adults. An interviewed sample of 164 Dutch adults aged 70 and over was used for regression analyses. Indicating that loneliness predicts lower life-satisfaction and more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, living in a care facility was associated with more loneliness and more depressive symptoms in older adults. These findings correspond with earlier research. However, although expected, the preference for solitude and emotional dampening of negative emotions did not predict life satisfaction or depressive symptoms. It is therefore important to investigate whether emotional dampening is actually an existing process in the aging group and maybe it manifests differently than we expected it to. The preference for solitude should be examined cross cultures, because this seems to have different effects in different countries. A last implication for future research is to use a larger group of care facility residents.