Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T15:43:25.081Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Living arrangements and loneliness of South Asian immigrant seniors in Edmonton, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 December 2013

CHEUK FAN NG  and
HERBERT C. NORTHCOTT
CHEUK FAN NG*
Affiliation:
Psychology, Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Canada.
HERBERT C. NORTHCOTT
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
*
Address for correspondence: Cheuk Fan Ng, Psychology, Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada E-mail: cheukn@athabascau.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between self-reported loneliness and living arrangements. A structured questionnaire with some open-ended questions was administered face-to-face in English, Hindi or Punjabi to a sample of 161 elderly South Asian immigrants 60 or more years of age living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 2003. The majority of respondents said that they never felt lonely. More than one in three (37.3%) respondents indicated that they felt lonely occasionally, frequently or all of the time. Those living alone were significantly more likely to report feeling lonely at least occasionally than were those living with others, especially those living with their spouse in an extended family. The fact that South Asian immigrant seniors typically lived with others, often in an extended family with or without their spouse, and rarely lived alone protected them to some extent from loneliness. However, our findings showed that among those living with others, it was the amount of waking time spent alone at home and the quality of family relationships rather than living arrangement per se that significantly predicted self-reported loneliness. Nevertheless, living in a larger household was associated with spending less time alone. We discuss plausible influences of culture on expectations regarding family and social relationships and on the meaning of being alone, as well as practical implications for addressing loneliness in a multi-cultural society.

Keywords

lonelinessliving arrangementtime alonefamily relationshipsCanadaSouth Asian immigrant seniors
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , March 2015 , pp. 552 - 575
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersson, L. 1998. Loneliness research and interventions: a review of the literature. Aging and Mental Health, 2, 4, 264–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagley, C. R. 1993. Mental health and social adjustment of elderly Chinese immigrants in Canada. Canada's Mental Health, 41, 3, 6–10.Google Scholar
Basavarajappa, K. G. 1998. Living arrangements and residential overcrowding among older immigrants in Canada. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 7, 4, 409–32.Google Scholar
Bess, I. 1999. Widows living alone. Canadian Social Trends, Summer, 2–5.Google Scholar
Bofill, S. 2004. Aging and loneliness in Catalonia: the social dimension of food behavior. Ageing International, 29, 4, 385–98.Google Scholar
Boyd, M. 1991. Immigration and living arrangements: elderly women in Canada. International Migration Review, 25, 1, 4–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brislin, R. W. 1986. The wording and translation of research instruments. In Lonnor, W. S. and Berry, J. W. (eds), Field Methods in Cross-cultural Research. Sage, Beverly Hills, California, 137–64.Google Scholar
Cacioppo, J. T. and Patrick, W. 2008. Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. W. W. Norton, New York.Google Scholar
Cameron, L. 2000. The residency decision of elderly Indonesians: a nested logit analysis. Demography, 37, 1, 17–27.Google Scholar
Choudhry, U. K. 2001. Uprooting and resettlement experiences of South Asian immigrant women. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 23, 4, 376–93.Google Scholar
Chow, H. P. H. 2010. Growing old in Canada: physical and psychological well-being among elderly Chinese immigrants. Ethnicity and Health, 15, 1, 61–72.Google Scholar
Dahan-Oliel, N., Mazer, B., Gelinas, I., Dobbs, B. and Lefebvre, H. 2010. Transportation use in community-dwelling older adults: association with participation and leisure activities. Canadian Journal on Aging, 29, 4, 491–502.Google Scholar
de Jong Gierveld, J. and Havens, B. 2004. Cross-national comparisons of social isolation and loneliness: introduction and overview. Canadian Journal on Aging, 23, 2, 109–13.Google Scholar
de Jong Gierveld, J. and van Tilburg, T. 1999. Living arrangements of older adults in the Netherlands and Italy: coresidence values and behaviour and their consequences for loneliness. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 14, 1, 1–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T. and Dykstra, P. 2006. Loneliness and social isolation. In Vangelista, A. and Perlman, D. (eds), Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 485–500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dean, A., Kolody, B., Wood, P. and Matt, G. E. 1992. The influence of living alone on depression in elderly persons. Journal of Aging and Health, 4, 1, 3–18.Google Scholar
DeMaris, A. 2003. Logistic regression. In Schinka, J. A. and Velicar, W. F. (eds), Handbook of Psychology: Research Methods in Psychology. Volume 2, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 509–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diwan, S. 2008. Limited English proficiency, social network characteristics, and depressive symptoms among older immigrants. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 63B, 3, S184–91.Google Scholar
Fokkema, T., de Jong Gierveld, J. and Dykstra, P. A. 2012. Cross-national differences in older adult loneliness. Journal of Psychology, 146, 1/2, 201–28.Google Scholar
Gee, E. M. 2000. Living arrangements and quality of life among Chinese Canadian elders. Social Indicators Research, 51, 3, 309–29.Google Scholar
George, D. and Mallery, P. 2005. SPSS for Windows Step by Step. Fifth edition, Pearson, Boston, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Glasgow, N. and Blakely, R. M. 2000. Older non-metropolitan residents’ evaluations of their transportation arrangements. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 19, 1, 95–116.Google Scholar
Glick, J. E. and Van Hook, J. 2002. Parents’ coresidence with adult children: can immigration explain racial and ethnic variation? Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 1, 240–53.Google Scholar
Greenfield, E. A. and Russell, D. 2011. Identifying living arrangements that heighten risk for loneliness in later life: evidence from the U.S. National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 30, 4, 524–34.Google Scholar
Grewal, S., Bottorff, J. L. and Hilton, B. A. 2005. The influence of family on immigrant South Asian women's health. Journal of Family Nursing, 11, 3, 242–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gurak, D. T. and Kritz, M. M. 2010. Elderly Asian and Hispanic foreign- and native-born living arrangements: accounting for differences. Research on Aging, 32, 5, 567–94.Google Scholar
Hawkley, L. C., Thisted, R. A., Masi, C. M. and Cacioppo, J. T. 2010. Loneliness predicts increased blood pressure: 5-year cross-lagged analyses in middle-aged and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 25, 1, 132–41.Google Scholar
Ip, D., Lui, C. W. and Chui, W. H. 2007. Veiled entrapment: a study of social isolation of older Chinese migrants in Brisbane, Queensland. Ageing & Society, 27, 5, 719–38.Google Scholar
Johnson, D. P. and Mullins, L. C. 1987. Growing old and lonely in different societies: toward a comparative perspective. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 2, 3, 257–75.Google Scholar
Jylha, M. and Jokela, J. 1990. Individual experiences as cultural: a cross-cultural study on loneliness among the elderly. Ageing & Society, 10, 3, 295–315.Google Scholar
Kim, O. 1999. Mediation effect of social support between ethnic attachment and loneliness in older Korean immigrants. Research in Nursing and Health, 22, 2, 169–75.Google Scholar
Knipscheer, K., Dykstra, P., de Jong Gierveld, J. and van Tilburg, T. 1995. Living arrangements and social networks as interlocking mediating structures. In Knipscheer, C. P. M., de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T. G. and Dykstra, P. A. (eds), Living Arrangements and Social Networks of Older Adults. VU University Press, Amsterdam, 1–14.Google Scholar
Lai, D. W. L. 2004. Impact of culture on depressive symptoms of elderly Chinese immigrants. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 12, 820–7.Google Scholar
Lai, D. W. L. and Surood, S. 2008. Predictors of depression in aging South Asian Canadians. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 23, 1, 57–75.Google Scholar
Lai, D. W. L. and Surood, S. 2010. Types and factor structure of barriers to utilization of health services among aging South Asians in Calgary, Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging, 29, 2, 249–58.Google Scholar
Luanaigh, C. O. and Lawlor, B. A. 2008. Loneliness and the health of older people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 12, 1213–21.Google Scholar
Moss, S. Z., Moss, M. S., Kilbride, J. E. and Rubinstein, R. L. 2007. Frail men's perspectives on food and eating. Journal of Aging Studies, 21, 4, 314–24.Google Scholar
Perlman, D. 2004. European and Canadian studies of loneliness among seniors. Canadian Journal on Aging, 23, 2, 181–8.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, S. and Roberts, M. 2008. Addressing loneliness in later life. Aging and Mental Health, 12, 3, 302–9.Google Scholar
Phua, V. C., Kaufman, G. and Park, K. S. 2001. Strategic adjustments of elderly Asian Americans: living arrangements and headship. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 32, 2, 263–81.Google Scholar
Pinquart, M. and Sörensen, S. 2001. Influences on loneliness in older adults: a meta-analysis. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 23, 4, 245–66.Google Scholar
Rokach, A. 2012. Loneliness updated: an introduction. Journal of Psychology, 146, 1/2, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rokach, A. and Bauer, N. 2004. Age, culture, and loneliness among Czechs and Canadians. Current Psychology, 23, 1, 3–23.Google Scholar
Rokach, A. and Neto, F. 2005. Age, culture, and the antecedents of loneliness. Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 5, 477–94.Google Scholar
Rokach, A. and Sharma, M. 1996. The loneliness experience in a cultural context. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 11, 4, 827–39.Google Scholar
Russell, D. 2009. Living arrangements, social integration, and loneliness in later life: the case of physical disability. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50, December, 460–75.Google Scholar
Russell, D., Peplau, L. A. and Ferguson, M. L. 1978. Developing a measure of loneliness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 42, 3, 290–4.Google Scholar
Sanders, S., Polgar, J. M., Klosek, M. and Crilly, R. 2005. Homebound older individuals living in the community: a pilot study. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 23, 2/3, 145–60.Google Scholar
Shiovitz-Ezra, S. and Leitsch, S. A. 2010. The role of social relationships in predicting loneliness: the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Social Work Research, 34, 3, 157–67.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2003 a. Census of Population (Provinces, Census Divisions, Municipalities) Marital Status, Common-law Status, Families, Dwellings and Households, 2001 Census, 20% Sample Data. Available online at http://www12.statcan.gc.ca [Accessed 25 July 2011].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2003 b. 2001 Census: Data Products: Topic-based Tabulations (97F0009XCB2001040, 95F0363XCB2001004, 97F0009XCB2001002, 97F0007XCB2001001, and 97F0009XCB2001041). Available online at http://www.12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable [Accessed 25 July 2011].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2007 a. Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006, by Age and Sex, 2006 Census. Catalogue No. 97-551-XIE, Minister of Industry, Ottawa. Available online at http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/agesex/pdf/97-551-XIE2006001.pdf [Accessed 11 February 2009].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2007 b. Immigration in Canada: A Portrait of the Foreign-born Population, 2006 Census. Catalogue No. 97-557-XIE, Minister of Industry, Ottawa. Available online at http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/immcit/pdf/97-557-XIE2006001.pdf [Accessed 26 November 2008].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2007 c. A Portrait of Seniors in Canada, 2006. Catalogue No. 89-519-XIE, Minister of Industry, Ottawa. Available online at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-519-x/89-519-x2006001-eng.pdf [Accessed 26 November 2008].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2008 a. Immigrant Status and Place of Birth (38), Sex (3) and Age Groups (10) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data. Catalogue No. 97-557-X2006013, Minister of Industry, Ottawa. Available online at http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census06/data/topics [Accessed 24 December 2011].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2008 b. Place of Birth (33), Period of Immigration (9), Sex (3) and Age Groups (10) for the Immigration Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data. Catalogue No. 97-557-XCB2006019, Minister of Industry, Ottawa. Available online at http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census06/data/topics [Accessed 24 December 2011].Google Scholar
Statistics Canada 2008 c. The Daily, April 2, 2008. 2006 Census: Ethnic Origin, Visible Minorities, Place of Work and Mode of Transportation. Available online at http://www.statcan.gc.ce/daily/ [Accessed 14 June 2010].Google Scholar
Sudha, S., Suchindran, C., Mutran, E. J., Rajan, S. I. and Sarma, P. S. 2006. Marital status, family ties, and self-rated health among elders in South Asian. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 21, 3/4, 103–20.Google Scholar
Sundstrom, G., Fransson, E., Malmberg, B. and Davey, A. 2009. Loneliness among older Europeans. European Journal of Ageing, 6, 4, 267–75.Google Scholar
Tam, S. and Neysmith, S. 2006. Disrespect and isolation: elder abuse in Chinese communities. Canadian Journal on Aging, 25, 2, 141–51.Google Scholar
Theeke, L. A. 2009. Predictors of loneliness in U.S. adults over age sixty-five. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 23, 5, 387–96.Google Scholar
Thomas, K. and Wister, A. 1984. Living arrangements of older women: the ethnic dimensions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 2, 301–11.Google Scholar
Tivis, R. S., Laitala, V., Routasalo, P. E. and Pitkaia, K. H. 2011. Suffering from loneliness indicates significant mortality risk of older people. Journal of Aging Research, 5 Pages, doi: 10:4061/2011/534781.Google Scholar
Tran, K., Kaddatz, J. and Allard, P. 2005. South Asians in Canada: unity through diversity. Canadian Social Trends, Autumn, 20–5.Google Scholar
Treas, J. and Mazumdar, S. 2002. Older people in America's immigrant families: dilemmas of dependence, integration, and isolation. Journal of Aging Studies, 16, 3, 243–58.Google Scholar
Turcotte, M. 2012. Profile of seniors’ transportation habits. Canadian Social Trends, 93, summer, 3–16.Google Scholar
van Tilburg, T., Havens, B. and de Jong Gierveld, J. 2004. Loneliness among older adults in the Netherlands, Italy, and Canada: a multifaceted comparison. Canadian Journal on Aging, 23, 2, 169–80.Google Scholar
Victor, C. R., Burholt, V. and Martin, W. 2012. Loneliness and ethnic minority elders in Great Britain: an exploratory study. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 27, 1, 65–78.Google Scholar
Victor, C., Scambler, S. and Bond, J. 2009. The Social World of Older People: Understanding Loneliness and Social Isolation in Later Life. Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK.Google Scholar
Victor, C., Scambler, S., Bond, J. and Bowling, A. 2000. Being alone in later life: loneliness, social isolation, and living alone. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 10, 4, 407–17.Google Scholar
Victor, C. R. and Yang, K. 2012. The prevalence of loneliness among adults: a case study of the United Kingdom. Journal of Psychology, 146, 1/2, 85–105.Google Scholar
Weiss, R. S. 1973. Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Yeh, S. J. and Lo, S. K. 2004. Living alone, social support, and feeling lonely among the elderly. Social Behavior and Personality, 32, 2, 129–38.Google Scholar