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Definition
Loneliness reflects perceived deficiencies in the quantity, quality, or type of the individual’s relationships with others, which can lead to experiencing negative emotions and may affect the individual’s mental and physical health.
Introduction
Loneliness occurs when the individual’s relationships with others do not meet his or her expectations. It can be a transitory experience due to a disruption in the person’s relationships with others, or it can be a chronic experience. Research has not found consistent evidence of gender differences in loneliness, and despite common beliefs, loneliness appears to occur more often among adolescents and young adults than the elderly. Loneliness has been found to lead to mental health problems, such as depression, and to have a variety of negative health consequences. A number of interventions for loneliness have been developed; however, a recent meta-analysis indicated that these interventions...
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References
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Russell, D.W., Pang, Y.C. (2016). Loneliness. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1085-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1085-1
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