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    The impact of social relationships on cognitive performance in the older adult : emotional loneliness is detrimental to cognitive performance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North
    (Massey University, 2019) Whitehouse, Catherine Mary
    The present study examined the influence of loneliness and objective social isolation on cognitive performance at baseline (time 1) and after two years (time 2) among older adults aged 65 - 84 years old. The exploration of the moderating role of objective social isolation on the relationship between loneliness and cognitive performance was investigated. The role education may have in moderating the relationship between loneliness, objective social isolation and cognitive performance was also investigated. This study extends previous work on loneliness and social isolation, and cognition in two ways. While previous research has found a link between loneliness, objective social isolation, and cognition, many studies have considered loneliness and objective social isolation independent of each other when investigating their relationship with cognition. This study investigated the relative and synergistic relationship between loneliness, objective social isolation and cognition. Secondly, Weiss (1973) conceptualised loneliness as emotional loneliness or social loneliness. Social loneliness as a risk factor for cognitive performance in the older adult has been overlooked. This study considered both emotional loneliness and social loneliness, as two different forms of loneliness that may influence cognition in the older adult. The current study examined the impact of three different types of social isolation (emotional loneliness, social loneliness and objective social isolation) on global cognition and cognitive domains (memory, fluency, language and visuospatial ability). Pre-existing data from the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NZLSA; 2010 and 2012) was used for analysis. The relationships between emotional loneliness, social loneliness and objective social isolation were examined using standard quantitative statistical procedures with linear hierarchical multiple regression being the primary technique. Results showed that loneliness (emotional and social) and objective social isolation may be differentially important for cognitive performance in the older adult. Emotional loneliness had an association with global cognition, verbal fluency, language and visuospatial ability, though not memory at baseline. At the two year follow-up emotional loneliness had an association with global cognition, memory, language, and visuospatial ability, though not verbal fluency. Social loneliness did not have an association with cognition at baseline, and was found to be a suppressor variable at the two year follow-up. Objective social isolation had an association at baseline with visuospatial ability only, which did not carry through to the two year analysis. Novel findings were that older adults who were emotional lonely and not socially isolated had poorer cognitive performance at baseline for global cognition, language and visuospatial tasks, than those who were emotionally lonely and socially isolated. Also older adults who had low levels of education and were socially isolated performed better in visuospatial tasks at baseline than older adults with low levels of education who were not socially isolated. Explanations of why emotional loneliness influence cognition is discussed, with a focus on the ‘lonely in the crowd’ subsample of older adults. Limitations of the study and implications for future research, such as need for longitudinal research that includes control variables such as personality factors, stress and sleep is also discussed.
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    Constructions of loneliness in older people in the New Zealand news and current affairs media : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology with endorsement in Health Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Bidois, Jolinda Ruth
    Loneliness is a subjective, painful, personal experience and it has negative effects on physical and mental health. The way that loneliness in older people is constructed in the mass media can reflect or influence public perceptions regarding that issue. Analysis of media reports can contribute to understanding how loneliness in older people is understood. This study is based in a social constructionist understanding and investigates the way that loneliness in older people is constructed in the New Zealand news and current affairs media. A discourse analysis was undertaken of articles regarding loneliness in older people, published in New Zealand in 2016 from selected newspapers, magazines, and a news website. Five discourses are described which are utilised in those news and current affairs articles regarding loneliness in older people. They are named the morality, economic, medical, dependence, and relational discourses. Each of these discourses has been identified in previous research. In the first four of these discourses, older people who experience loneliness are commonly offered passive subject positions of reduced power and agency, and loneliness in older people is problematised. Older people quoted in the news and current affairs articles drew on a relational discourse which, in contrast, positioned older people, including those who experienced loneliness, in interdependent relationships. A focus on the voice of older people highlights that they draw on a different discourse from others, and it is a discourse which enables more powerful and agentive subject positions for older people, especially those who experience loneliness.
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    Loneliness among older people living in long term care settings in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Health at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Bogati, Rubina
    Introduction Loneliness is a major problem experienced by older people living in long term care settings. Among older people, loneliness has been associated with poorer physical and mental health. However, there is limited information known about the prevalence of loneliness and socio-demographic and health characteristics associated with loneliness, among older people living in long term care settings in New Zealand. Methodology This study used a cross-sectional correlational design to explore the degree of loneliness among older people living in long term care settings in New Zealand and the socio-demographic and heath characteristics associated with loneliness. Methods included a demographic data sheet, the Barthel Index to measure functional independence, the EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS to measure health and wellbeing, the geriatric depression scale to measure depression, and the De-Jong Gierveld loneliness scale to measure loneliness. Between December 2015 and April 2016, data from 36 participants were collected using predominantly face to face interviews. Results The mean age of participants was 81 years (95% CI: 77.81-84.42). Analysis revealed older people experienced marginal loneliness (M = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.76-2.96). Logistic regression predicted loneliness was almost twice as likely to occur in older people with low perceived health (OR = 1.78, p = .04) and was more than twice as likely to occur in those with fewer social networks (OR = 2.53, p = .03). Logistic regression also predicted that those with fewer social networks were three times more likely to experience social loneliness (OR = 3.18, p < .00). Conclusion Loneliness is prevalent among older people living in long term care settings in New Zealand and is associated with lower levels of perceived health and fewer social networks. Further research with a larger population is needed to understand loneliness, the factors associated with it, and more importantly, strategies to reduce it.
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    The effects of social isolation on cognition : social loneliness reduces cognitive performance in older adults : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Whitehouse, Catherine
    The present cross-sectional study examined the influence of social isolation on cognitive performance among older adults aged 65-84 years old. This study extended previous work on social isolation and cognition in two ways. While previous research has found a link between social isolation and cognition, few have examined the relationship between different forms of social isolation and different domains of cognition simultaneously. Secondly, a link between social loneliness and cognition has not been examined. Therefore, the current study examined the impact of four different types of social isolation (social loneliness, emotional loneliness, perceived social support and objective social isolation) on global cognition and cognitive domains (memory, fluency, language and visuospatial ability). The cross-sectional data from the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NZLSA) (2010) was used for analysis. The NZLSA study included questions about demographic information, mental and physical well-being, loneliness, social support, social networks and cognition. Using multiple regression analyses the influence of social isolation on cognitive functions was investigated. Results showed that various forms of social isolation may be differentially important for cognitive performance in the older adult, with social loneliness the only measure of social isolation that influences cognition. The results also suggested that if a form of social isolation affects cognition, the different cognitive domains such as global cognition, fluency, language and visuospatial ability respond in a similar pattern. Explanations of why social loneliness influences cognition is discussed. Limitations of the study and implications for future research, such as the need for a longitudinal study that simultaneously assesses the links between the various forms of social isolation and cognition, is also discussed.