The effect of age and culture on the causes of loneliness

This study examined the influence of age and cultural background on the causes of loneliness. A total of 194 Canadians and 209 participants from the Czech Republic formed the participant pool. Rather than comparing the two populations and disregarding within and between the age differences the cultural groups were divided into age subgroups. These were young adults (18-30 years old), adults (31-59), and seniors (60-89). Participants answered a 29-item yes/no questionnaire composed of 5 subscales, namely: Personal Inadequacies, Developmental Deficits, Unfulfilling Intimate Relationships, Relocation/Significant Separations, and Social Marginality. The age groups within and between cultures also differed significantly.