Loneliness of chronically ill adults and their spouses

This comparative descriptive study was designed to determine if there was a significant difference in loneliness between 80 chronically ill adults and their spouses [N = 160] and to determine whether a significant relationship existed between loneliness and selected characteristics in the two groups. Chronically ill adults were purposively selected from several sources and represented a variety of illnesses. Loneliness of both groups was assessed using a single dichotomous item from the Oars Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire (1975). Data on selected characteristics were collected through four instruments: subscales from the Oars, Disability Classification Index, Social Role Rating Scale, and Life Satisfaction Index-Z Scale. Wilcoxon 2-Sample Test revealed no significant difference in loneliness between groups. For both groups, women were more lonely than men and this difference was significant for the ill group (p less than .001). The highest correlation between loneliness and sociodemographic characteristics was need for financial assistance for ill respondents and inability to afford luxuries for spouses; between lonely and disease-related characteristics, it was the number of chronic illnesses for ill and disability of the ill partner for spouses; between lonely and sociological characteristics, it was decrease in the homemaker role for ill and decrease in the leisure role for spouses. For both groups, loneliness was significantly related to lower life satisfaction and unrelated to mental health. Findings indicate that chronically ill adults and spouses are similar in frequency of self-reported loneliness. Differences in characteristics associated with loneliness found between the two groups suggest a need for different approaches in nursing interventions for ill adults and spouses.