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Content analysis of 526 verbatim reports of loneliness revealed both helpful and nonhelpful coping strategies. The helpful strategies were grouped into three clusters that represent three distinct phases of the coping process. Eleven factors were subsumed under the three clusters. Four additional factors comprised the cluster of destructive and nonbeneficial coping strategies. The present study highlights the complexity and variety of coping strategies as well as the frequency with which they are used and their utility in helping people to survive loneliness and alienation.

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In this study, factor analysis was used to examine whether men and women experience loneliness differently and how marital status affects the experience of loneliness (especially if the marriage is terminated). The experiences of chronic and situational or event-related loneliness are also compared. Finally, the study is also an investigation of the social stigma that causes people to refuse to admit their loneliness. As a result of this stigma, when questioned for research purposes, individuals usually report a recall past loneliness rather than a current or ongoing experience. In the present study, the difference between loneliness recalled and loneliness experienced at the time of questioning is investigated.

Loneliness is a pervasive experience which everyone has experienced. It is a subjective experience, which is influenced by one's personality and situational variables. This study examined the influence of age and culture on the perceived causes of loneliness. One thousand, three hundred and forty-seven Canadian and Portuguese participants from all walks of life volunteered to answer an 82-item yes/no questionnaire reflecting on the causes of their loneliness. The questionnaire used in this study is composed of the factors that describe causes of loneliness: Personal inadequacies, Developmental deficits, Unfulfilling intimate relationships, Relocation/significant separations, and Social marginality. Gender differences between and within the groups were also examined. Four age groups were compared: youth (13–18 years old), young adults (19–30), adults (31–58) and the elderly (60 and older). Within and between culture and age comparisons were also done. Results indicated that the causes of loneliness are perceived differently depending on one's age and culture.