There are negative correlations between prosocial behaviors and loneliness and negative correlations between thinking about prosocial behaviors and loneliness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of thinking about engaging in charitable behaviors on immediate feelings of social and emotional loneliness, as measured by the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale (SELSA). To compare influences of thinking about charitable behaviors and not thinking about charitable behaviors, an experimental design was used. The theoretical framework was a mediational model in which thinking about engaging in a specific charitable behavior leads to perceived ability to participate in positive social interaction, which leads to increased sense of belongingness, which leads to decreased loneliness. This was based on the spreading activation theory and Peplau and Perlman’s social psychological theory of loneliness. A sample of 171 adults age 18 or older living in the United States completed an online questionnaire consisting of 1 of 3 randomly assigned writing prompt conditions: charitable thoughts writing prompt, control writing prompt, and no writing prompt. Data were analyzed through planned contrasts within a one-way ANOVA. Planned contrasts revealed no significant difference in social or emotional loneliness scores between participants in the experimental group and participants in either control group. Thinking about engaging in charitable behaviors does not lead to immediate reduction in loneliness, opening new questions for researchers to investigate what does lead to immediate reduction in loneliness. Nonsignificant findings help health professionals make informed decisions about how to help clients. They need scientific evidence to distinguish between what does and does not work.

This masters's thesis focuses on coping strategies elderly people use to cope with their loneliness. The thesis uses twenty semi-structured interviews with the elderly living in nursery home and community-dwelling elderly, which are then compared. Theoretically the thesis is based on Robert Weiss's typology of social and emotional loneliness and the current knowledge of the relationship between health and loneliness and coping strategies. The major results are that experiencing loneliness does not differ between the two selected groups, which contradicts the conclusions of previous research and that health was an important aspect in both groups. Further the thesis concludes that no relationship was found between the number of coping strategies the elderly use and their loneliness. Loneliness of the elderly in relation to the concept of coping strategies, in addition with comparassion of the elderly living in nursery home and community-dwelling elderly, is not greatly discussed topic in the Czech Republic. Thus, the master's thesis constibutes to the discussion within the Czech context on the coping strategies the elderly people use to cope with their loneliness and the differences or similarities between the two selected groups.

Research has shown that university students are extra vulnerable to experiencing loneliness because of the social, structural, and behavioral changes associated with starting to study at university. Studies have also shown that different attachment profiles can have an impact on an individual's experience of loneliness. A lot of earlier research has investigated loneliness as one whole concept, so the aim of the present study was to look into both emotional and social loneliness in university students and to understand their relationship with adult attachment. One-hundred and twenty-six university students over 18 years old answered De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) and Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) through an online survey. A quantitative between groups design was used to explore the specific aims of the study. For the statistical analysis the participants were divided into four groups based on type and amount of loneliness. The results of the study showed that emotional loneliness was associated with insecure-ambivalent attachment and social loneliness associated with insecure-avoidant attachment. Those with high levels of emotional loneliness had significantly higher levels of insecure-ambivalent attachment compared with those with high levels of social loneliness. Individuals with low levels of both loneliness types, had significantly higher levels of secure attachment and lower levels of insecure attachment compared with the other groups, which indicates that the more securely attached an individual is the less lonely he or she is. / Forskning har visat att universitetsstudenter är extra sårbara vad gäller upplevd ensamhet på grund av de sociala, strukturella och beteendemässiga förändringarna som är associerade med att börja studera på universitet. Studier har även visat att olika typer av anknytnings profiler kan ha en påverkan på en individs upplevda ensamhet. Mycket av den tidigare forskningen har undersökt ensamhet som ett enda koncept, så syftet med denna studie var att undersöka både emotionell och social ensamhet hos universitetsstudenter och förstå deras relation till vuxenanknytning. Deltagarna bestod av 126 universitetsstudenter över 18 år som svarade på De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) och Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) genom en webb-baserad enkät. En kvantitativ mellangruppsdesign användes för att undersöka studiens specifika syften. För den statistiska analysen delades deltagarna in i fyra grupper baserat på typ och mängd av ensamhet. Resultatet av studien visade att emotionell ensamhet var associerat med otrygg-ambivalent anknytning och social ensamhet var associerat med otrygg-undvikande anknytning. De med höga nivåer av emotionell ensamhet hade signifikant högre nivåer av otrygg-ambivalent anknytning jämfört med de som hade höga nivåer av social ensamhet. Individer som hade låga nivåer av båda typerna av ensamhet, hade signifikant högre nivåer av trygg anknytning och lägre nivåer av otrygg anknytning jämfört med de andra grupperna, vilket tyder på att ju tryggare anknytning man har desto mindre ensam känner man sig.

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We examine the role of residential environments (urban/rural) in understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions in nationwide movement on several socio-economic attitudes. We conducted large-scale surveys in four European countries (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) before and after nationwide lockdowns were implemented. We investigate how the pandemic affected: (i) economic (economic insecurity), (ii) political (trust in domestic and international institutions), and (iii) social attitudes (loneliness), by controlling for the degree of urbanization, obtained from the geocodes of the survey respondents. Our results show that taking the degree of urbanization into account is not only relevant but is also essential. Compared to urban areas, in rural areas lockdowns led to a greater increase of economic insecurity and to a greater decrease in trust in domestic institutions. We also show that these results are particularly valid for women and households with children.