Keywords
loneliness
living alone
old age
estrategias de afrontamiento
soledad
hogares unipersonales
vejez
How to Cite
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze the strategies for coping with loneliness among the elderly who live alone. The data come from a qualitative study with 44 elderlies in Uruguay, individual interviews and focus group and content analysis were carried out. Findings. The elderly used two types of strategies to cope with the absence of interpersonal relationships at home. One, focused on emotions based on doing activities outside the home, which allowed controlling the negative emotions due to the feeling of loneliness. In addition, the other, focused on the problem, through the search for new social relationships outside the home, particularly couples under the arrangement of "living alone together” and friendship relationships. The elderly use cognitive, emotional and relational resources to build a coping process located outside the home space when living alone. The coping strategies reported here make visible new relationship contexts during old age.
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