A reflexive thematic analysis on the personal and contextual factors of loneliness in Greecethe voice of the community-dwelling older adults and the professionals providing social care services to older people

Abstract

This study aimed at examining qualitatively the perception about the experience of loneliness in Greece. To do that, the narratives of community-dwelling older adults and professionals of social care services to the elderly were analysed. Moreover, the role of individual and contextual factors in late life loneliness was also examined. Data were gathered from 60 semi-structured interviews (older adults: n = 30; mean age = 73 years old; professionals: n = 30; mean age = 42 years old) living in urban and rural areas. As a qualitative methodological orientation, the Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA; Braun & Clarke, 2006) under a critical realist approach was used. As a result, three main themes were generated from the narratives of the older adults ("For me, that´s loneliness", "We choose our loneliness", and "The complex world of loneliness"), as well as numerous subthemes that were graphically displayed on a conceptual map. This map was complemented by another map that included the professionals' themes and subthemes. The results showed the complex interrelationship between the factors involved in the experience of loneliness and revealed the important contribution of contextual factors. It was also possible to observe aspects of loneliness intimately related to culture-specific characteristics in Greece. Professionals brought to light the need for interdisciplinary work and a closer connection with the elderly in designing intervention programs. Implications, limitations of the study and future lines of work are discussed in detail.