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Abstract
Studies have shown that loneliness is increasingly prevalent among the aged, especially those who live in institutions. This study examines the role of social support and differences in loneliness among institutionalised elders, using a face-to-face questionnaire interview in a Shanghai institution. Results show that the prevalence of loneliness among participants was relatively high. Gender, subjective appraisals of relationship with nurses, frequency of being visited by children, frequency of being visited by friends, and subjective appraisals of relationship with roommates were significant predictors of loneliness. The quality of social support was indicated as a significant factor for predicting loneliness rather than its quantity. It is striking that frequency of being visited by children was found to be positively associated with loneliness. This counterintuitive finding suggests that the function of family for those institutionalized elders may be negative under China’s cultural norms, beliefs, and perceptions, which is incongruent with theoretical assumptions in Western countries.
越来越多的研究证据显示孤独感不仅常见于老年人群体，更与老人的疾病、认知行为功能的下降密切相关。然而有关机构照顾老人的孤独感研究在数量上仍然是有限的，我们尤其缺乏中国背景下的认识，而在这一议题上中西方文化存在着大量可能影响研究结果的差异，例如中国文化对于机构养老的污名化倾向。本研究基于中国上海进行了探索，发现性别、与护士的关系等因素都显著影响着研究对象的孤独感；相对于社会支持的数量来说，其质量的影响作用更加明显。令人惊讶的是，研究发现子女探访频率与孤独感呈正相关关系。这一与西方理论假设相反的发现亦指出：在中国文化的背景下，家庭可能对机构照顾老人的精神健康存在着消极影响。