Global Health MSc Thesis / The construct of loneliness is well explored within the arts and humanities, but has only recently been considered to be a condition that should be addressed by public health policy. Definitions explored include common sense, existential loneliness, and the cognitive approach. The governments of Japan and the UK have implemented policy that specifically addresses loneliness as a result of its recent identification as a health concern linked to dementia, heart disease, hypertension, and greater risk of morbidity. This thesis undertook an integrative literature review across the arts, humanities, sciences, and grey literature to provide a comprehensive picture of a modern conceptualization of loneliness. The results of this thesis find that loneliness is both a health risk and social problem that is being addressed at the municipal and federal levels in Japan and the UK. However, the question remains as to whether loneliness should be considered a public health concern or a social concern. More international collaboration on the impact of loneliness on populations is recommended. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc) / The construct of loneliness is well explored within the arts and humanities, but has only recently been considered to be a condition that should be addressed by public health policy. The governments of Japan and the UK have implemented policy that specifically addresses loneliness as a result of its recent identification as a health concern linked with dementia, heart disease, hypertension, and greater risk of morbidity. This thesis undertook an integrative literature review across the arts, humanities, sciences, and grey literature to provide an expansive picture of a modern conceptualization of loneliness. The results of this thesis find that loneliness is both a health risk and social problem which can be appropriately addressed by government action. However, the question remains as to whether loneliness should be considered a public health concern or a social concern. More international collaboration on the impact of loneliness on populations is recommended.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/24996 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Hayden-Nygren, Juliana |
| Contributors | Baumann, Andrea, Global Health |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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