LONELINESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF SENIOR CITIZENSIN KLANG VALLEY, MALAYSIA

Abstract

This study aims to determine the level of loneliness and the influence of coping strategies amongthe senior citizens in Klang Valley. A total of 76 senior citizens aged 60 to 80 years old were recruited through community centres within Klang Valley and by using a convenience sampling technique. The level of loneliness was assessed by the Malay version of the 6-item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale and coping strategies by Malay version Brief COPE scale. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was tested beforehand to ensure that the senior citizens do not have any cognitive impairment and met the criteria of this study. Descriptive analyses were used to assess the level of loneliness and bivariate Spearman’s correlation was used to study the relationship between coping strategies and loneliness. Of the 14 coping strategies, three were significantly related to loneliness; these were active coping, religion and focus on and venting of emotions. This indicates that the increased use of active coping and religion may alleviate loneliness while the increased use of focus on and venting of emotion is noted to increase the level of loneliness. The findings of the present study may be useful for healthcare providers for developmental, educational and preventive purposes.