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The action-oriented approach that focused on friendship development in this intervention might be applied to other goals considered important in later life (optimal health, autonomy, harmonious family relations).

This study examines changes in self management abilities among women in a friendship enrichment programme. The study is based on the theory of self management of well-being which identifies relevant self-management skills as self-efficacy, taking initiative, investment behaviour and attaining variety in resources. An intervention group (N  =  60) and a control group (N = 55) were studied at a baseline, three months and nine months later. Results indicate that the programme is effective in stimulating two of the four self-management abilities. Compared to the control group, participants in the intervention showed greater increases in initiative taking and more investment behaviour in friendship. There was no change in self-efficacy or variety in friendship. We conclude that older adult women are able to improve some self-management abilities in friendship after participating in this programme. Important goals for future studies are to improve the measurement of self-efficacy and relate improvement in self-management to subjective well-being.

The main question in this article is whether interventions that are aimed at reducing loneliness among older persons, that are organized on different levels with different goals, are effective. Nine interventions are described; participants in only three interventions demonstrated a significant decline in loneliness. Typical characteristics of these interventions are their focus on specific target groups of older persons, their relatively long duration and the influence of the participants on the methods that were applied in the intervention. Two of the three interventions involve group work. More research is necessary on the effectiveness of interventions, in order to identify those persons for whom an intervention is more and less likely to be effective so that more systematic referral is possible. Also development of individualized trajectories that include a series of interventions on different levels is recommended. Samenvatting De centrale vraag van dit artikel is of interventies gericht op vermindering van eenzaamheid bij ouderen die op verschillende niveaus en met verschillende doelen in Nederland opgezet zijn, effectief zijn. Negen verschillende interventies worden beschreven; bij slechts drie kon een significante vermindering van eenzaamheid aangetoond worden. Kenmerkend van deze interventies is hun gerichtheid op specifieke doelgroepen, hun langere duur en de invloed van deelnemers op de toepassing van de interventiemethoden. Twee van de drie zijn interventies op groepsniveau. Een pleidooi wordt gehouden voor meer onderzoek naar effectiviteit en doelmatigheid van interventies, meer systematische verwijzing van eenzame ouderen naar interventies en de ontwikkeling van persoonsgerichte trajecten van interventies.Keywords eenzaamheid Á ouderen Á interventie Á effectiviteit Inleiding Een belangrijke vraag in deze tijd van schaarse financie¨le middelen is de vraag of interventies die gericht zijn op vermindering van eenzaamheid bij ouderen, effectief zijn. Als deze vraag gesteld wordt aan mensen die interventieprogramma's voor ouderen organiseren, dan is er vaak een enthousiaste reactie met anekdoten over mensen die veel baat hebben gehad bij deelname aan de interventies. Echter volgens de uitkomsten van een systematisch overzicht van internationale interventieprogramma's zijn de effecten minder duidelijk. Sommige typen interventies lijken effectief te zijn voor specifieke doelgroepen; bij andere interventies wordt geen effect of weinig effect gevonden. 1-2 In dit artikel wordt een aantal interventies gericht op vermindering van eenzaamheid bij Nederlandse ouderen op verschillende niveaus geordend en naar hun effectiviteit gekeken.Alvorens in te gaan op de verschillende typen interventies in Nederland, is een meer fundamentele vraag: waarom zouden wij belangstelling hebben voor interventies gericht op het verminderen van eenzaamheid op latere leeftijd? Hoort eenzaamheid niet bij het leven en vooral op latere leeftijd? Het ouder worden gaat tenslotte vaak gepaard met het verliezen van betekenisvolle relaties....

In this study we examine patterns of change and stability in loneliness among 108 women who had participated in a friendship enrichment programme during the year after the programme. We distinguished seven groups of participants in which different levels of loneliness significantly declined, remained stable or increased. These were reduced to the following groups: those recovered, significantly improved and not improved. We then examined whether resources such as age, education, partner status, health, initially available friendships and developments in friendships were related to these loneliness patterns. The data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, a loneliness scale and the personal convoy model. The results indicate that none of the demographic characteristics, nor health, were associated with the patterns of loneliness. Friendship availability and development did differ among the groups. Recovery from loneliness after a year was associated with the presence of a friend in the outer circle of the convoy and having more variation in one's friendships initially and one year later. It was also associated with the presence of a friend in the inner circle and reporting improvement in friendship later. The absence of these qualities initially or subsequently was more characteristic of those whose loneliness was stable or increased. Thus, the maintenance of companionate friendship and the development of intimacy in one's friendships seem advantageous for recovery from loneliness. While this study illustrates that recovery from, and significant reduction of loneliness are possible, we are not yet able to predict who will benefit and who will not benefit from a friendship enrichment programme.

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