Bakgrund: Hiv är en utbredd infektion och flera miljoner blir smittade varje år. Stigmatisering kring infektionen finns fortfarande kvar. Hälsa definieras som mer än frånvaro av sjukdom och lidande behöver inte vara fysisk. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva personers erfarenheter av att leva med hiv. Metod: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys baserad på sex självbiografier. Resultat: Fyra huvudteman framkom då analysprocessen genomfördes: svårt att förlika sig, behov av stöd, fördomarna tog stor plats i livet och behov av kontroll. Diskussion: Det är viktigt att sprida korrekt kunskap om hiv för att stigmatisering och fördomar av infektionen ska minska. Det är stigmatiseringen som skapar känslor av skam och isolering hos hivpositiva. Slutsats: Stigmatiseringen kring infektionen och rädslan att utveckla aids skapar mest ångest hos personer som lever med hiv. Dessa personer känner även en rädsla för att bli lämnade ensamma på grund av sin infektion. De upplever ett starkt behov av att få stöd.

Syftet med undersökningen är att kartlägga Kalmar Sjöfartshögskolas tredje och fjärdeårsstudenters upplevelser av ensamhet och social isolering under sin tid till sjöss. Tanken är också att belysa vilka konsekvenser dessa upplevelser kan få för studenterna. Undersökningen är en kvantitativ studie av survey-typ där data samlats in med hjälp av enkäter. Studenterna tillfrågades om sina upplevelser av ensamhet och social isolering samt ett antal faktorer och symptom kopplade till dessa känslor. De insamlade svaren analyserades och jämfördes sedan med varandra för att hitta mönster av relation. Resultatet visar att upplevelser av ensamhet och social isolering förekommer, och att det är relativt vanliga bland studenterna. Det finns ett antal symptom, till exempel nedstämdhet och upplevelsen av minskad prestationsförmåga som kan associeras med dessa känslor. Vidare finns ett antal faktorer som går att koppla till hur dessa känslor av ensamhet och social isolering upplevs av individen, till exempel relationen till handledaren, den enskildes civilstånd, stämningen och gemenskapen ombord. / The aim of this report is to survey the experience of loneliness and social isolation among third- and fourth-year students at the Kalmar Maritime Academy, during their time at sea. The purpose is also to shed light on the consequences that these students may experience. It is a quantitative study, more specifically a survey-study where the students were questioned about their experiences of loneliness and social isolation as well as a number of factors and symptoms related to these feelings. The gathered answers were analyzed and compared in order to find any patterns of association. Our conclusion is that experiences of loneliness and social isolation are relatively common among the students. These feelings are associated with symptoms like depression and a decrease in performance. There are a number of variables that are associated these feelings, such as the relation to the supervisor, martial status, the atmosphere and fellowship onboard.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a qualitative study, a convenience sampling technique was used to ensure a study population of eleven HIV-infected low-income women. These participants were all direct referrals from municipal clinics and the provincial hospital. The criteria for participation were HIV sero-positivity and being a mother of a child or children. Semi-structured open-ended individual interviews were conducted, transcribed and then analysed, using grounded theory. Additional data were gained by using a standardised psychological measure, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (RULS). The two main types of loneliness that these women experienced were loneliness of emotional isolation and loneliness of social isolation. These terms can be defined as the absence of a close emotional attachment and lack of support and understanding of intimate others (emotional isolation) and the absence of an accessible and engaging social network and lack of social support and acceptance (social isolation). The most significant causes of loneliness for these women were stigmatisation; fear and/or shame of rejection and victimisation; fear of losing custody or care of their children; fear of losing financial and emotional support; and using secrecy and non-disclosure as main coping strategy for their emotional and physical safety. Experiences of emotional isolation were also provoked or enhanced by the lack of involvement and support from their partners and the partners' denial of the illness and its consequences. Experiences of social isolation were also caused or increased by the general lack of HIV/AIDS information, education and support services. Significantly, it was found that for most of the women the psychological effect of loneliness was primarily a depressed mood as well as using negative coping mechanisms, such as alcohol abuse and further withdrawal from important others. The psychosocial needs of these women were also significantly similar. Broad guidelines are offered for health workers in assisting/supporting HIV-infected low-income mothers in general, based on the core needs of the women in this study; to be listened to and heard, understanding and acceptance, and social support. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In 'n kwalitatiewe studie is 'n gerieflikheidsteekproeftegniek gebruik om 'n studiepopulasie van elf MIV-geïnfekteerde lae-inkomste-vroue te verseker. Hierdie deelnemers was almal direkte verwysings van munisipale klinieke en die provinsiale hospitaal. Die kriteria vir deelname was MIV-sero-positiwiteit en moeder wees van 'n kind of kinders. Semigestruktureerde oop individuele onderhoude is gevoer, getranskribeer en toe ontleed deur gegronde teorie te gebruik. Bykomende data is verkry met behulp van 'n gestandaardiseerde psigometriese instrument, die "Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (RULS)". Die twee hooftipes eensaamheid wat hierdie vroue ervaar het was eensaamheid van emosionele isolasie en eensaamheid van sosiale isolasie. Hierdie terme kan omskryf word as die afwesigheid van 'n nou emosionele band en gebrek aan ondersteuning en begrip van intieme ander (emosionele isolasie) en die afwesigheid van 'n toeganklike en inskakelende sosiale netwerk en gebrek aan sosiale ondersteuning en aanvaarding (sosiale isolasie). Die beduidendste oorsake van eensaamheid vir hierdie vroue was stigmatisasie; vrees en/of skaamte vir verwerping en viktimisasie; vrees vir verlies van voogdyskap of sorg van hul kinders; vrees vir die verlies van finansiële en emosionele ondersteuning; en die gebruik van geheimhouding en nie-openbaarmaking as belangrikste hanteringstrategie vir hul emosionele en fisieke veiligheid. Ervarings van emosionele isolasie is ook uitgelok of versterk deur die gebrek aan betrokkenheid en ondersteuning van hul lewensmaats en die lewensmaats se ontkenning van die siekte en sy gevolge. Ervarings van sosiale isolasie is ook veroorsaak of verhoog deur die algemene gebrek aan inligting, opvoeding en ondersteuningsdienste ten opsigte van MIVNIGS. 'n Betekenisvolle bevinding was dat vir die meeste van die vroue die psigologiese effek van eensaamheid primêr 'n depressiewe gemoedstemming was sowel as die gebruik van negatiewe hanteringstrategieë soos alkoholmisbruik en verdere onttrekking van belangrike ander. Die psigososiale behoeftes van hierdie vroue was ook beduidend eenders. Breë riglyne word voorgestel vir gesondheidswerkers wat betref die bystaan/ondersteuning van MIV-geïnfekteerde lae-inkomste-moeders in die algemeen, gebaseer op die kernbehoeftes van die vroue in hierdie studie; om na geluister en gehoor te word, begrip en aanvaarding, en sosiale ondersteuning.

Loneliness in the workplace has received relatively little attention in the literature. The research surrounding loneliness tends to focus almost exclusively on personal characteristics as the primary determinant of the experience, and largely ignores the workplace as a potential trigger of loneliness. As such, personality tends to be overestimated as the reason for loneliness, whilst only modest emphasis is given to environmental factors, such as organisational environments. Therefore, the overall aim of this thesis was to explore the notion of loneliness in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on examining the antecedents and outcomes of its development in work contexts. The first stage of the research included the development and empirical examination of a scale measuring work-related loneliness. A 16-item scale was constructed and tested for its reliability and factor structure on a sample of 514 employees from various organisations. Exploratory factor analysis indicated two factors best represent the data, namely Social Companionship and Emotional Deprivation at Work. For the main study, a theoretical model was constructed whereby various antecedents (personal characteristics, social support, job characteristics, and emotional climate) were hypothesised to influence the development of work-related loneliness, which in turn was thought to affect employee attitudes and wellbeing. Employees from various organisations were invited to participate in the online research via email, which generated 362 submissions from diverse occupational groups. Structural equation modelling techniques were used to assess the hypothesised model, which was evaluated against a number of fit criteria. The initial results provided limited support for the Loneliness at Work Model. Consequently, a number of adjustments were necessary to obtain sufficient fit. The modified model suggests that organisational climate (comprising climate of fear, community spirit at work, and organisational fit) serves to simultaneously predict the emotional deprivation factor of loneliness (made up of seven items) and employee attitude and wellbeing. The results indicate that environmental factors such as fear, lack of community spirit, and value congruence play a role in the experience of work-related loneliness and have an overall negative effect on employee withdrawal behaviours and job satisfaction. The findings from this study offer insight into possible areas for organisational intervention and future research.

The current study aims to fill a deficiency in the literature on the effects of watching television, particularly “happy” and “not happy” shows, on social needs. Participants will first take a survey to report their loneliness and need for social interaction. Then, they will be randomly assigned into one of four television-viewing conditions (two involving the participants watching “happy” shows and two involving participants watching “not happy” shows). After viewing three episodes, participants will be re-tested on their loneliness and need for social interaction. It is hypothesized that after watching television, participants will report feeling less lonely and less likely to seek out social interaction with a larger effect for those watching happier shows than those watching less happy shows. If the study shows a reduction in loneliness and desire for social interaction after watching television, it could suggest that television is an outlet to offer those who are lonely or lacking in social support and can ease some of their discomfort and sadness.

The aim of the research was to explore the relationship between the use of SMS communication by adolescents and their perceived feelings of loneliness. The SMS seems to be the new communication medium for young people as they are most comfortable with and enthusiastic about this technology and its applications. The adolescent stage is characterised by the building of own social networks, the definition of boundaries between themselves and parents, self-presentation constructed on a social stage in relation to others and characterised by the development of romantic attachments, feelings of anxiety, self-esteem development and maintenance which may result in feelings of isolation and loneliness. Loneliness can be defined as an emotional and cognitive reaction to having fewer and less satisfying relationships than one desires. This includes the absence or self-perceived absence of satisfying social relationships and the unpleasant experience that occurs when a person's network of social relations is deficient in some important way. The motivation for this research was to get insight into the relationship between the use of SMS communication and loneliness in the South African context. An internet search on the 13th February 2006 indicated that no research has yet been done on the relationship between the use of the SMS and loneliness of adolescents in South Africa. An availability sample was used. One hundred and seventeen Grade 11 and 12 learners from two schools in the North West Province participated in the research project. An explanatory cross-sectional survey design with features of qualitative data analysis was used in this investigation. Three methods were used to obtain data, namely the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), Satisfaction with Life Scale as well as a self-compiled questionnaire. After scoring the UCLA scale the researcher determined which of the participants had the highest level of loneliness and the lowest level of loneliness. Two groups were chosen, each consisting or 15 learners, according to the highest and lowest scores on the loneliness scale respectively. These two groups represented the top and bottom 14% of the sample. The data obtained from the self-compiled questionnaire and Satisfaction with Life scale were qualitatively compared. Analysis of the data indicated that there might be a relationship between the experience of loneliness and the following: gender; number of siblings; involvement in romantic relationships; amount of money spent on bill (financial constraints); quantity of SMS messages sent and received; need to stay in contact with friends over the weekend; reasons for sending SMS messages; feelings regarding sending or receiving SMS messages; feelings regarding no response to SMS messages; feeling with regard to not receiving SMS messages from a friend for a long time; initiating of friendships via cellphone and the SMS rather than face-to-face communication. Suggestions for future research projects were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

This research explores the meaning that older persons ascribe to the friendships in which they engage. Previous research mostly focuses on the strain that the older population places on the self-reliant community. The older person is faced by many challenges, such as sickness, loss of social and emotional support and death. Friendships serve as a support for physical and emotional needs which could not always be addressed by the family. The aim of this research is to explore the type of friendships in which older persons prefer to engage and the meanings they assign to it. A qualitative study was identified as the most appropriate method and focus groups and personal interviews were used as methods of data collection. Data was analysed by means of thematic content analysis. Findings indicated that different types of friendships exist and that different meanings were attached to friendships. Meaning in friendships is promoted by trustworthy friends who are able to form a deepened level of connection through the support and the compassion they are able to give each other. The experience of connection in friendships is furthermore enhanced through mobility, proximity and technology that facilitate better emotional as well as physical support for the older individual. Informal friendships with younger people ensure that older people are more mobile and are able to maintain their friendships. It is also a great source of support in cases where family members are not able to provide support, due to whatever reason. Further exploration of the value of friendships is recommended, so as to plan more specific intervention strategies. Some insights have already been gathered in this study concerning the way in which mobility, proximity and modern technology can make it possible to sustain a friendship. Further studies could explore ways to empower older people through providing better mobility, proximity and the use of modem technology. Such studies may also explore the needs which an old age home fulfils, such as improving the residents' access to one another, for mutual support. Proximity might be a solution for the immobility experienced in the older community, and when older people are taught to use modern technology they will be enabled to maintain their friendships better. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This thesis tests Robert S. Weiss's 1973 theory of loneliness, which claims two types of loneliness: emotional and social. Emotional loneliness is the affective reaction to the absence of a close attachment bond. Social loneliness stems from inadequate integration into a social network. Undergraduate residents of a university dormitory completed questionnaires on loneliness, attachment, personality, and relationships with other dorm residents. Patterns of relational ties among participants were evaluated using social network analysis, specifically density, tie strength, and four forms of centrality. Results reveal that, while controlling for neuroticism, the network measure of outdegree and the two attachment dimensions accounted for more than half the variance in loneliness, R = .73. None of the three predictors intercorrelated significantly. A portion of loneliness is derived from one's internal attachment security and a separate portion is derived from the external features of one's social network integration.

Background. Research identifies isolation (being alone) as a risk factor for cognitive decline— yet it is possible that subjective dimensions of isolation are more critical. Potential risk factors are loneliness (the distress stemming from feeling alone) and cynical hostility (an attitude of distrust and cynicism). The present study examined the relationship between these factors and cognitive functioning and decline. Methods. Data came from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of US adults over 50. Loneliness was measured using the Hughes Loneliness Scale; cynical hostility was measured using items from the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory. Cognitive functioning was indexed by the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Regressions were conducted to examine loneliness and cynical hostility as predictors of cognitive function at baseline as well as cognitive decline over four and six-year periods. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and isolation. Results. Loneliness, [f2=.003, t(52)=-3.75; p<.001] and cynical hostility, [f2=.002, t(52)=-2.98, p=.004] predicted cognitive function at baseline. Loneliness and cynical hostility each predicted cognitive decline over four [f2=.001, t(52)=-2.29; p=.026 f2=.003, t(52)=-3.98; p<.001 respectively] but not six years [t(52)= -.78; p=.439; t(52)= -1.29; p=.203 respectively]. Discussion. Loneliness and cynical hostility are correlates of lower cognitive function and risk factors for cognitive decline over four years. The absence of significant effects of loneliness and cynical hostility over six years could be attributed to low statistical power in these analyses. The effect sizes in this study are small, yet meaningful in the context of the personal and social costs associated with cognitive decline.

This thesis focuses on conducting a theological engagement with the problem of loneliness among some people with learning disabilities As a result of witnessing the problem at close quarters in Ireland and of confirming its existence generally through an examination of the results of some research projects focused on loneliness and learning disability, the dominant rights-based legislative approach to all disability matters in Ireland, and in the UK, is tested for its ability to address the problem of loneliness It is discovered that the approach is ill-equipped to respond to the problem despite its frequent expression of the desirability of a sense of community cohesion among those with and without disabilities, but which only ever remains at the level of the aspirational As the approach here is both critical and constructive, the benefits to people with disabilities of legislative rights in the spheres of healthcare, housing and access are acknowledged but their ineffectiveness in the sphere of interpersonal relationships and in the fostering of the kinds of friendships that can alleviate the effects of loneliness is stressed. The aim of this thesis is neither to confirm the percentage of those with learning disabilities who are lonely, nor to construct a 'hierarchy' of loneliness. Rather, the aim is to show that it is a problem for many and that the solution will not be found within a rights-based approach to disability. The difficulty is discovered to be located at the level of anthropology and the understanding in all Western disability policy that human persons are, above all, individual citizens with competing rights to choice, equality and inclusion. Such a view renders those with and without learning disabilities 'combatants' in a legislative arena where the expressed wishes for freely given and received friendship among those who are lonely are frequently ignored in the battle for personal rights. The search for a solution requires then a different account of the origin and nature of the human person and of human relationships. In turning to Christian theology and its understanding of 'communion' as expressed in the Christian practices of friendship, hospitality and a particular understanding of belonging, the solution to loneliness appears in the faithful practice of these principles, concretised in the form of an ecclesiology which is neither exclusive nor rigid in form, but rather gentle and inviting, imitating the constant gentle invitation of Christ to 'come, follow me'. This first chapter is concerned with methodology. It locates the research within the field of Practical Theology generally and describes the four-stage 'pastoral cycle' which provides the framework for exploring the problem of loneliness among those with learning disabilities. The four 'stages', namely experience, analysis, reflection and response act as tools for conducting the research; The second chapter recounts the experience of meeting people with learning disabilities who were lonely despite residing in the community and having part-time employment. Their experiences are described in detail in an effort to both capture their sadness and to provoke discussion regarding the adequacy of legislative and policy-based approaches to disability which had provided them with employment and housing opportunities but which appeared helpless in the face of their heartfelt need for life-giving friendships. The third chapter begins with a reiteration of my overall aim, namely that of highlighting the particular problem of loneliness for many with learning disabilities and to highlight the limits of conventional legislative approaches to disability to successfully deal with the problem. I trace the history of disability studies and give the definition of disability that emerges, describe the models of disability that are current, discuss these models in terms of their contribution to the public perception of people with learning disabilities and focus on the shifting preference for one model over another. I point out the difficulty with agreeing on one definition but then move to a history of the thinking of the disability rights movement and how its approach to disability has shaped the accepted definitions that now underpin disability legislation. I finish this chapter by providing a working definition of 'learning disability' that is used throughout the remaining chapters. The fourth chapter focuses on the meaning of loneliness. Loneliness is difficult to define but I offer a working definition at the beginning of the chapter which will be amended at the end of the chapter in light of the analysis of loneliness among those with learning disabilities. I discuss loneliness conceptually as an issue among the population generally, and then focus on it in terms of its relationship to solitude, isolation, aloneness and estrangement with the assistance of material from psychology, sociology and medicine. I comment on how loneliness is measured and then focus specifically on the problem among those with learning disabilities through reporting on several research projects in which people with learning disabilities of various ages reported being lonely, how they felt and what they believed would improve their situations. I return to the definition of loneliness offered at the beginning of the chapter and rework it, focusing specifically on its meaning for people with learning disabilities and its prevalence among that group. The fifth chapter summarises the success of the disability rights movement in lobbying for disability legislation founded on the principles of rights, equality, inclusion and choice. The meanings of these four principles are then explored and their contribution to the improvement of the lives of people with learning disabilities acknowledged I show that disability legislation in Ireland, much of which originates at an EU level, is successful within its areas of competence which include access to employment and housing and healthcare, but limited in the sphere of fostering the sorts of relationships that can alleviate the difficulties associated with the problem of loneliness among people with learning disabilities. The legislation can promote the personal right to inclusion in the community but it cannot foster life-giving friendships. People with learning disabilities continue to experience the problem of loneliness in spite of the introduction of a raft of legislation and policy documents. The principles on which the legislation is built, namely rights, equality, inclusion and choice are blunt instruments in the shaping of communities of belonging in which the problem of loneliness can be addressed. The sixth chapter considers theological responses to the problem of loneliness among people with learning disabilities. Having described my constituency of concern, provided a working definition of loneliness, given an account of my experience of meeting people with learning disabilities who are lonely, and highlighted the limits of the legislative approach to learning disability concerning its usefulness as a solution to the problem of loneliness, I now seek to respond to the problem of loneliness with the assistance of theological anthropology regarding the nature and meaning of being 'human'. I will engage primarily with the theological anthropology of Karl Rahner. I will consider his insights in terms of the practices of friendship, hospitality, belonging and communion which are all posited as solutions to the problem of loneliness. I will not seek to design a new ecclesiology however. Rather I will take the anthropological insights of Rahner and, bringing them into the next and final chapter, discuss the fundamental connectedness of all of humanity and suggest therefore that encounters or 'conversations' are possible between those who offer different solutions to the problems faced by people with learning disabilities. Rahner's anthropology allows for the possibility of such conversations without the insistence on prerequisites which can take the focus away from the problem of loneliness and place it instead on a search for what the parties have in common before beginning the conversation. Such preliminary negotiation delays the process of searching for a response to the problem of loneliness. The seventh and final chapter represents the response to the problem of loneliness among people with learning disabilities. It urges interested parties within and outside the church to engage in a conversation in order to address the problem of loneliness among people with learning disabilities. I borrow from the work of the theologian Rowan Williams who, in interpreting the work of the historian John Bossy on 'fraternities', writes about conversations of 'charity', understood as 'caritas' or love in which all those concerned about the welfare of those with learning disabilities engage without the prerequisite of finding common ground but rather to recognise and make visible that ground which is already common to all. In this regard, the insights of theological anthropology into the nature of the human person and of human relationships will be a welcome voice in such a conversation in which the principles of friendship, hospitality and belonging can enter into the discussion about the difficulties faced by those with learning disabilities who are lonely. Such conversations of 'charity' or caritas have the potential to foster relationships of 'charity' or caritas so that people with learning disabilities who are lonely may experience the type of fellowship which can alleviate their suffering caused by loneliness.