Coping With Loneliness

Abstract

In the present study the various strategies used by individuals who have successfully coped with loneliness are identified. A questionnaire containing 86 yes-no items outlining various coping strategies was completed by 633 individuals selected from a local college and university and from the general population. A subsequent factor analysis of the data yielded six factors: Reflection and Acceptance, Self-Development and Understanding, Social Support Network, Distancing and Denial, Religion and Faith, and Increased Activity. Phase 2 of the study included an examination of whether the salience of these factors differed according to gender, marital status, and the duration of loneliness, and whether the passing of time altered the participants' understanding of the causes of loneliness.