Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T17:28:48.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘A lonely old man’: empirical investigations of older men and loneliness, and the ramifications for policy and practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2019

John Ratcliffe ,
Andrea Wigfield  and
Sarah Alden
John Ratcliffe*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
Andrea Wigfield
Affiliation:
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Sarah Alden
Affiliation:
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Loneliness has become an issue of significant academic, public and policy focus. There has been much research on experiences of loneliness in later life and many accompanying interventions targeting lonely older people. However, there has been a dearth of research on the impact that loneliness can have on older men and the resulting implications for policy and practice. This paper aims to redress this by developing a theoretical framework to improve understanding of older men's constructions and experiences of loneliness. It draws on two qualitative empirical studies: the first explores older men's perceptions of masculinity and loneliness; and the second looks at the effectiveness of a service for older men which was designed to alleviate loneliness among older people more generally. The paper outlines the way in which older men often construct masculinity as an oppressive (hegemonic) requirement, but which can be reformed into ‘positive’ traits of ‘strength of mind’, ‘responsibility’, ‘caring’, ‘helping out’, ‘doing a favour’ and ‘giving something back’, with a consistent yet implicit assumption that enactment of these denotes a ‘proud’ masculine identity. Loneliness, on the other hand, is represented as a subordinate social role, both non-masculine and related to marginalising stereotypes of age. This results in the identification of two important implications for the way in which services can assist in the alleviation of loneliness in older men: that men are more likely to engage with a service that can facilitate the construction of a ‘proud’ masculine identity; and that services which deconstruct hegemonic masculinities, particularly by providing a space where men feel comfortable being emotionally tactile, are likely to be most effective at both alleviating loneliness and promoting overall wellbeing.

Keywords

lonelinesssocial isolationmenmasculinitymasculinitiesgenderolder peopleolder men
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , April 2021 , pp. 794 - 814
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

AARP (2010) Loneliness Among Older Adults: A National Survey of Adults 45 +. Washington, DC: AARP.Google Scholar
Addis, M and Hoffman, E (2017) Men's depression and help-seeking through the lenses of gender. In Levant, R and Wong, J (eds), The Psychology of Men and Masculinities. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 171–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Addis, M and Mahalik, J (2003) Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking. American Psychologist 58, 5–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alpass, F and Neville, S (2003) Loneliness, health and depression in older males. Aging & Mental Health 7, 212–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Avital, D (2017) Gender differences in leisure patterns at age 50 and above: micro and macro aspects. Ageing & Society 37, 139–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barclay, L (2016) In sickness and in dignity: a philosophical account of the meaning of dignity in health care. International Journal of Nursing Studies 61, 136–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barnes, H and Parry, J (2004) Renegotiating identity and relationships: men and women's adjustments to retirement. Ageing & Society 24, 213–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, F (1996) The organizational construction of hegemonic masculinity: the case of the US Navy. Gender, Work & Organization 3, 129–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartholomaeus, C and Tarrant, A (2016) Masculinities at the margins of middle adulthood: what a consideration of young age and old age offers masculinities theorizing. Men and Masculinities 19, 351–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beach, B and Bamford, S (2015) Isolation: The Emerging Crisis for Older Men. London: Independent Age.Google Scholar
Bell, J (2010) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First Time Researchers in Education, Health and Social Science, 5th Edn. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Bolton, M (2012) Loneliness: The State We're In. A Report of Evidence Compiled for the Campaign to End Loneliness. Oxford: Age UK.Google Scholar
Bryman, A (2016) Social Research Methods, 5th Edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Callinicos, A (2007) Social Theory: A Historical Introduction. Cambridge: Polity.Google Scholar
Campaign to End Loneliness (2017) Millions of Men Are Hiding Their Loneliness. Available at https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/blog/millions-of-men-are-hiding-their-loneliness/.Google Scholar
Cattan, M, White, M, Bond, J and Learmouth, A (2005) Preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people: a systematic review of health promotion interventions. Ageing & Society 25, 41–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Connell, R (2005) Masculinities, 2nd Edn. Cambridge: Polity.Google Scholar
Connell, R and Messerschmidt, J (2005) Hegemonic masculinity: rethinking the concept. Gender and Society 19, 829–859.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Courtenay, W (2000) Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men's well-being: a theory of gender and health. Social Science & Medicine 50, 1385–1401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidson, S and Rossall, P (2015) Age UK Loneliness Evidence Review. London: Age UK.Google Scholar
De Jong Gierveld, J, Van Tilburg, T and Dykstra, P (2018) New ways of theorizing and conducting research in the field of loneliness and social isolation. In Vangelisti, A and Perlman, D (eds), Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships, 2nd Revised Edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dykstra, P (2009) Older adult loneliness: myths and realities. European Journal of Ageing 6, 91–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emslie, C, Ridge, D, Ziebland, S and Hunt, K (2006) Men's accounts of depression: reconstructing or resisting hegemonic masculinity? Social science & medicine 62, 2246–2257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffin, J (2010) The Lonely Society? London: The Mental Health Foundation.Google Scholar
Hammond C (2018) Who Feels Lonely? The Results of the World's Largest Loneliness Study. BBC Radio 4. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2yzhfv4DvqVp5nZyxBD8G23/who-feels-lonely-the-results-of-the-world-s-largest-loneliness-study.Google Scholar
Hansen, T and Slagsvold, B (2016) Late-life loneliness in 11 European countries: results from the generations and gender survey. Social Indicators Research 129, 445–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heylen, L (2010) The older, the lonelier? Risk factors for social loneliness in old age. Ageing & Society 30, 1177–1196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HM Government (2018) PM Launches Government's First Loneliness Strategy (Press release). Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-launches-governments-first-loneliness-strategy.Google Scholar
Hollway, W and Jefferson, T (2000) Doing Qualitative Research Differently: Free Association, Narrative and the Interview Method. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kantar Public (2016) Trapped in a Bubble: An Investigation into Triggers for Loneliness in the UK. London: Co-operative/British Red Cross.Google Scholar
King, A (1997) The lads: masculinity and the new consumption of football. Sociology 31, 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitson, A, Marshall, A, Bassett, K and Zeitz, K (2013) What are the core elements of patient-centred care? A narrative review and synthesis of the literature from health policy, medicine and nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing 69, 4–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kupers, T (2005) Toxic masculinity as a barrier to mental health treatment in prison. Journal of Clinical Psychology 61, 713–734.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauder, W, Sharkey, S and Mummery, K (2004) A community survey of loneliness. Journal of Advanced Nursing 46, 88–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mason, J (2002) Qualitative Researching, 2nd Edn. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Milligan, C, Payne, S, Bingley, A and Cockshott, Z (2015) Place and wellbeing: shedding light on activity interventions for older men. Ageing & Society 35, 124–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Möller-Leimkühler, A (2002) Barriers to help-seeking by men: a review of sociocultural and clinical literature with particular reference to depression. Journal of affective disorders 71, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nicolaisen, M and Thorsen, K (2014) Who are lonely? Loneliness in different age groups (18–81 years old), using two measures of loneliness. International Journal of Aging and Human Development 78, 229–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolen-Hoeksema, S and Ahrens, C (2002) Age differences and similarities in the correlates of depressive symptoms. Psychology and Ageing 17, 116–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perlman, D and Peplau, LA (1981) Toward a social psychology of loneliness. Personal Relationships 3, 31–56.Google Scholar
Pinquart, M and Sörensen, S (2001) Gender differences in self-concept and psychological well-being in old age: a meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 56B, 195–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plummer, K (2001) Documents of Life 2: An Invitation to Critical Humanism, 2nd Edn. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, KA, Mackenzie, CS, Medved, M and Roger, K (2015) The experiences of older male adults throughout their involvement in a community programme for men. Ageing & Society 35, 531–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, S (2007) Understanding Men and Health: Masculinities, Identity and Well-being. Maidenhead, UK: McGraw-Hill Education.Google Scholar
Robinson, S (2002) Pedagogy of the opaque. In Gardiner, J (ed.), Masculinity Studies and Feminist Theory. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Rokach, A (2018) The effect of gender and culture on loneliness: a mini review. Emerging Science Journal 2, 59–64.Google Scholar
Ruxton, S (2006) A Review of Age Concern Services. London: Age Concern.Google Scholar
Thompson, E and Langendoerfer, K (2016) Older men's blueprint for being a man. Men and Masculinities 19, 119–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tijhuis, M, De Jong-Gierveld, J, Feskens, E and Kromhout, D (1999) Changes in and factors related to loneliness in older men: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Age and Ageing 28, 491–495.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Time to Shine Leeds (2017) Loneliness and Me. Available at https://timetoshineleeds.org/press-media/campaign-loneliness-and-me.Google Scholar
Valtorta, NK, Kanaan, M, Gilbody, S, Ronzi, S and Hanratty, B (2016 a) Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies. Heart 102, 1009–1016.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valtorta, NK, Kanaan, M, Gilbody, S and Hanratty, B (2016 b) Loneliness, social isolation and social relationships: what are we measuring? A novel framework for classifying and comparing tools. BMJ Open 6, e010799.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, C and Bowling, A (2012) A longitudinal analysis of loneliness among older people in Great Britain. Journal of Psychology 146, 313–331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, C and Yang, K (2012) The prevalence of loneliness among adults: a case study of the United Kingdom. Journal of Psychology 146, 85–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vogel, D, Heimerdinger-Edwards, S, Hammer, J and Hubbard, A (2011) ‘Boys don't cry’: examination of the links between endorsement of masculine norms, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes for men from diverse backgrounds. Journal of Counseling Psychology 58, 368–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wigfield, A and Alden, S (2017) Evaluation of Time to Shine: Year 2 Interim Findings. Time to Shine Leeds. Available at https://timetoshineleeds.org/projects/local-evaluation.Google Scholar
Woolhead, G, Calnan, M, Dieppe, P and Tadd, W (2004) Dignity in older age: what do older people in the United Kingdom think? Age and Ageing 33, 165–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yousaf, O, Grunfeld, E and Hunter, M (2015) A systematic review of the factors associated with delays in medical and psychological help-seeking among men. Health psychology review 9, 264–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed