ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (7): 1084-1091.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2014.01084

• Meta-Analysis • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Increasing Loneliness in Old People: A Cross-temporal Meta-analysis from 1995 to 2011

YANZhimin;LI Dan;ZHAOYuhan;YU Lin;YANGXun;ZHUShuirong;WANG Ping   

  1. (Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University; Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)
  • Received:2013-11-19 Online:2014-07-15 Published:2014-07-15
  • Contact: YU Lin

Abstract:

Due to the dramatic social change, Chinese older people may have experienced increasing loneliness in recent decades. Wecomprehensively reviewed 25 studies using cross-temporal meta-analysis which were published from 1995 to 2011 and involved 13,280 old people. Results showed that (1) a positive relationship between loneliness and the year was found with 0.95 SD increased from 1995 to 2011; (2) loneliness scores for married and non-married groups had been increasing significantly,also to male and female groups; (3) the difference was significant betweennon-married and married people, but no difference was found between males and females.

Key words: loneliness, older adults, cross-temporal meta-analysis, meta-analysis, social change