Juan López Doblas, professor at the Department of Sociology of the UGR, studies the reasons influencing the loneliness of the elderly
Permanently leaving the household where they have lived for decades generates anxiety in the elderly and causes them to prefer living alone at home
A research by the University of Granada (UGR) analyzes the reasons leading to elderly people to live alone. Juan López Doblas, professor at the Department of Sociology, is the author of this work, published in the Spanish Journal of Sociological Research (REIS, from its name in Spanish).
Intergenerational coresidence in Spanish families is an essential resource for many adult children due to the current patterns of youth emancipation. However, for decades, the tendency of elderly people in Spain is to live as a couple when married or alone after being widowed.
The study is based in interviews with people of more than 63 years of age. The chosen regions were Asturias and Andalusia, since their rates of population aging are different and their elderly residents differ substantially in essential aspects such as their educational level or the amount of the pension they perceive from the State.
«What we have observed in the study is that, at present, elderly people have a preference for privacy and freedom, and that comes before the company,» says López Doblas to the SINC Agency.
Discussion groups consisted mostly of widows, which indicates that they are the majority within the studied group of population.
Attachment to the household
One of the most important aspects to understand the reason that leads to the fall of intergenerational coresidence in Spain is housing. According to the study, the elderly are aware that they cannot demand that their families be installed at home, so they -the elderly- should be the ones who move. Permanently leaving the household where they have lived for decades generates anxiety in the elderly and causes them to prefer living alone at home.
According to López Doblas, «they have a strong emotional attachment to their home, even if it does not meet the best conditions of habitability. They consider that moving away from home is an unnecessary personal sacrifice that isolates them from their social environment so that they can be in contact with their families, neighbors and friends.»
Meager pensions
In a significant way, the study also reflects how people participating in the discussion groups imagine what their life would be like if they chose to live with their families. «They understand that if they lived with relatives they would mean a burden for them, something they want to avoid at all costs. Moreover, they reject that idea so as not to meddle in their private life. They also fear that daily cohabitation will irremediably end up generating discomfort, arguments and conflicts,» the UGR professor explains.
Regarding pensions, although their amount is usually scarce, especially for many widow women, this does not prevent them from managing to be self‑sufficient. It is something they achieve through a thorough control of their spending, which often implies austerity with regard to the consumption of goods and services, even basic ones.
«In addition to loneliness, widowed people have to assume new roles and experiences that, at first, are very hard to them. Adaptation is very difficult but, after a while, they also value freedom. It is a balance between risks and positive aspects,» López Doblas concludes.
Bibliographic references:
López Doblas, Juan (2018). “Formas de convivencia de las personas mayores”. Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 161: 23-40.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5477/cis/reis.161.23 (PDF)
Contact info:
Juan López Doblas
Department of Sociology, University of Granada (UGR)
Phone number: (+34) 958 248 065
E‑mail: jdoblas@ugr.es
