Paulina Mrozińska
Psychologia Rozwojowa, Tom 14, Numer 3, 2009, s. 89 - 100
The experience of spouses’ loneliness and strategies of coping with it
The main purpose of the research is the analysis of the relationship between the experience of spouses’ loneliness and preferred strategies of coping with loneliness. The research is based on Ami Rokach’s classification of strategies which people use in the process of coping with loneliness. She proposes the following strategies: Self-Development and Understanding, Reflection and Acceptance, Distancing and Denial, Religion and Faith, Social Support Network, Increased Activity. Sixty married couples were examined. Respondents’ age ranged between 22 and 67. The youngest couple has been married for 3 months, the eldest – for 43 years. A dependent variable is the preferred strategy of coping with loneliness. The main independent variable is the experience of loneliness, while other independent variables were controlled: spouses’ gender, age and marriage duration. Rokach’s questionnaire (The Experience of Loneliness-coping with Loneliness) was used in order to examine the preferred strategies. UCLA Loneliness Scale-Version 3 was used in order to examine the experience of loneliness. Data gathered indicates that spouses feel lonely because of the lack of intimate relationships. The experience of loneliness depends on spouses’ age and marriage duration: the older spouses are, the lonelier they feel. The most preferred strategy is Building Social Bridges. The choice of strategies depends on spouses’ gender, age, marriage duration, and the experience of loneliness.