Social Support Networks and Loneliness Among Elderly Jews in Russia and Ukraine
Author(s)
Publication Name
Publication Date
Abstract
The collapse of the Soviet Union had devastating consequences for the lives of its population, especially for older adults, many of whom became impoverished and were left with no social support. Using data from a survey of 2,579 elderly Jews in two of the largest countries of the former Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine, we examine variables that affect their feeling of loneliness. Unmarried and childless elderly persons reported the highest feelings of loneliness. Married elderly persons who maintained frequent contact with their children felt least lonely. Moreover, married and unmarried elderly persons who did not maintain frequent contact with relatives or friends were lonelier than those who maintained such contact. The characteristics of social networks were significantly correlated with loneliness. The findings also showed that Jews in Ukraine had fewer social networks and felt lonelier compared to Jews in Russia.
Topics
Age and Generational Issues Ageing and the Elderly Main Topic: Other Post-1989 Social Capital Surveys Networks
Genre
Geographic Coverage
Original Language
Volume/Issue
66(2)
Page Number / Article Number
306-317
DOI
Link
Link to article (paywalled), Social Support Networks and Loneliness Among Elderly Jews in Russia and Ukraine
Bibliographic Information
Social Support Networks and Loneliness Among Elderly Jews in Russia and Ukraine. 2004: 306-317. https://archive.jpr.org.uk/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00022.x
