INFLUENCE OF LONLINESS ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF ELDERLY WIDOWS AS EXPRESSED BY WIDOWS IN OSHODI LGA OF LAGOS STATE

Abstract

Loneliness was found to be a problem for a significant portion of the population, reported more in the women with emphasis on elderly widows in Oshodi LGA. The loss of a spouse in elderly women is the most disorganizing life event they can ever with stand. The purpose of the present study is to understand the concept of loneliness among elderly women by reviewing the popular theories proposed by the researches. It also aims at examining the relationship of loneliness with their quality of life and other demographic issues through review of related researches. Findings revealed that loneliness is a particularly relevant issue in relation to elderly widows, whose rates of mortality illness and depression exceed those of their married counterparts, every woman who loses a husband through death experiences a painful period of bereavement, often accompanied by severe loneliness, obsessive thoughts of the deceased, restlessness, insomnia, somatic complaints, and even hallucinations of the deceased, and poor mental wellbeing. Older women report more loneliness than male peers. Loneliness is an area of concern related to the well being of older women because it is a cause of emotional distress and is linked to a variety of health problems in older individuals

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

The bereaved of once spouse is the most excruciating and life changing event, this is even worse in elderly people, whether the spouse dies expectedly or unexpectedly, loneliness among the elderly widows whose social network has already been reduced, affects the elderly widows quality of life and they become more vulnerable to loneliness. Although social support stabilizes the effects of loneliness such as mental problems, depression, insomnia and hallucinations of the dead, widows have lower levels of social support than married individuals. Physical abuse they received or feared from those closest to them in the past. Loneliness that results in physiological effects such as high blood pressure in people over age 50 include feeling empty, unnecessary, unloved, devalued, unwanted, rejected, ignored, neglected, betrayed, abandoned, not good enough, mistrusted, chronically exploited, and psychologically abused. It’s more than a feeling of failure in holding a job or being financially independent. Feeling lonely is not the same as depression. Instead, it‘s intension to make a friend and at the same time scared if she reach out and make a friend, that friend may betray her trust and hurt her by taking away anything she values or need to survive. There are so many ways of a person feeling accepted or rejected, but feeling lonely can be described as the most unfortunate thing. It‘s an awful experience when a person feels left alone in life, that is when bad actions and ideas come to mind. The cognitive deficit perspective proposes that loneliness is a deficit between actual and desired quantity and/or quality of social engagement (Peplau et al. 1982). Within this framework the Theory of Mental Incongruity (Dykstra & de Jong Gierveld 1994) suggests that loneliness is formed by a mismatch in the interrelationship of cognition, experience and expectations of social relationships. The loss perspective focuses on the absence of specific attachments and differentiates emotional loneliness (the loss of a key attachment figure such as a spouse) from social loneliness (a reduced social network). In his extended Bowlby theory Weiss (2007) argues that whether or not a relationship is functionally substitutable is a key feature of the distress that manifests itself as loneliness. Both of these perspectives have relevance to the widowed population who experience reductions in their social networks (Bennett et al. 2005; Utz et al. 2002) and the loss of a primary attachment relationship that is both functionally highly specific and ‗‗non-substitutable‘‘ (Weiss 1973).

In this study, loneliness is defined as an individual’s subjective experience of a lack of satisfying human relationships, and thus loneliness is a negative feeling causing distress to an individual. The expressions “loneliness” and “suffering from loneliness” are used interchangeably because both meet the definition. It is related to several characteristics that impair the quality of life of elderly widows, like depressive symptoms and decreased subjective health. Loneliness may lead to cognitive decline, increased need of help and use of health services, as well as early institutionalization of the elderly women after the loss of the spouse (Geller et al. 1999, Tilvis et al. Victor et al. 2000, Alpass & Neville 2003, Cohen-Mansfield & Parpura-Gill 2007). Loneliness in widows is very devastating, it is more than the feeling of wanting company or wanting to do something with another person, Often widows are overwhelmed by feelings of being cut off, disconnected and alienated from other people. Because of such feelings lonely widows may find it difficult or even impossible to have any form of meaningful human contact. Generally Lonely people often experience a subjective sense of inner emptiness or hollowness, with feelings of separation or isolation from the world, and an elderly woman grieving for the loss of her husband is not an exemption. ( Alpass & Neville 2003, Victor et al. 2000 )In this study, the elderly widows refer to the individuals or women who are 65 years old or older, who live in their own homes and have lost their husbands.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Death is the common destiny of all men, we are all entitle to it but definitely we are not dying on the same day, the inevitability as it is often called has taken away joy, smile and happiness from the face of so many. The issue with death is not the fact that it is inevitable, it is based on the fact that man cannot ascertain the when they were and the how.  It is on this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the influence of loneliness on the mental health of elderly widows as expressed by widows in Oshodi LGA of Lagos state.

 

• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of loneliness on the mental health of elderly widows as expressed by widows in Oshodi. However, for the successful completion of the study, the researcher set out the following sub-objective:

1. To ascertain the relationship between death of a spouse and loneliness
2. To evaluate the impact of loneliness on the mental health of the widow

• To evaluate the relationship between mental health and loneliness

1. To ascertain the effect of widowhood on the mental well-being of the elderly.
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated.

H₀: there is no significant relationship death of spouse and loneliness

H₁: there is a significant relationship between death of spouse and loneliness

H₀²: there is no significant impact of loneliness on the mental health of the elderly widows

H₂: there is a significant impact of loneliness on the mental health of the elderly widows

• RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the relationship between death of spouse and loneliness?
2. what is the impact of loneliness on the mental health of the widows?

• What is the relationship between mental health and loneliness?

1. What is the effect of widowhood on the mental well-being of the elderly?

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is perceived that at the completion of the study the findings will be of great benefit to councilors who will used the findings of the study as a guide on the discharge of their duties, the study will also be of great importance to the ministry of women affairs in developing policies and program to carter for these widows, the study will also be of great importance to researchers who intend to embark on a research on similar topic as it will serve as a guide to them. Finally the study will be of great importance to teachers, students, lecturers, academia and the general public as the findings of the study will add to the pool of knowledge.

 

 

 

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covers the influence of loneliness on the mental health of elderly widows as expressed by widows in Oshodi LGA of Lagos state. However, in the course of the study, the researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study. Some of these constrain are:

Finance: is a major limitation to the scope of the study, as available resources does not allow for a wider scope

Time: the time allocated to the research work is limited because of other academic works

Availability of research materials: material for this work is not readily available as the researcher has to go to the field and source for materials.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Loneliness

Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship. Loneliness typically includes anxious feelings about a lack of connection or communication with other beings, both in the present and extending into the future. As such, loneliness can be felt even when surrounded by other people. The causes of loneliness are varied and include social, mental, emotional or even physical factors

Mental health

Mental health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of mental illness. It is the “psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment”.^[1] From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual’s ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.

Widow

A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man in that situation. The state of having lost one’s spouse to death is termed widowhood. These terms are not applied to a person after he or she becomes divorced from their former spouse, though they may sometimes be used after the former spouse has died.

 

 

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