Men and loneliness in the ‘west’: A critical interpretive synthesis

Abstract

BackgroundLoneliness has received considerable attention in recent years, but has seldom been investigated through a gendered lens. This review aims to critically summarise research substantively related to men and loneliness.MethodA critical interpretive synthesis, incorporating a pre-defined search strategy, was employed to analyse a broad variety of data. The searches were conducted in July 2019, across seven databases: MEDLINE; PsycINFO; Scopus, ASSIA, SSCI; Sociological Abstracts; and Social Policy and Practice. Included studies were written in English, conducted in high income nations in Western Europe, North America, and Australasia, with no date limitations. Qualitative studies required a substantive focus on sex/men or gender/masculinities and loneliness, and quantitative studies either an explicit focus on sex differences in loneliness, or data substantially relevant to loneliness and men. Seventy-nine studies met the inclusion criteria.ResultsSeven ‘synthetic constructs’ were built: i) men’s loneliness appears more associated with their social network; ii) men may be less emotionally forthright, thus both less inclined to discuss loneliness and less likely to form meaningful relationships; iii) romantic relationships may be more important for preventing loneliness in men; iv) different measurements of loneliness do not show the same sex differences in the prevalence of loneliness; v) lonely men may be more likely to engage in risky/unhealthy behaviour; vi) feeling/being ‘insufficiently masculine’ can result in loneliness; and vii) intersections of identity facilitate different gendered results.ConclusionThese constructs offer a framework that can help inform interventions aimed at preventing/alleviating loneliness in men, and a foundation for future research. Overcoming men’s emotional reticence, and facilitating better quality social networks, appeared critical goals for interventions. Men’s emotional reticence may constitute both a barrier to discussing loneliness, and to forming loneliness preventing relationships. It also appeared to be characterised either by the construction of a masculine persona, or a fear of the repercussions for initiating intimate conversation. When attempting to ascertain whether a man is lonely, acknowledging gendered variation in survey responses is required. However, it is unclear how generalisable these ‘synthetic constructs’ are, and their potential inter-relatedness requires further research.

Loneliness as an active ingredient in preventing or alleviating youth anxiety and depression: a critical interpretative synthesis incorporating principles from rapid realist reviews

“…The aim of the searches was to identify interventions to address loneliness in 14-24-year olds that also related to anxiety or depression: for example because the intervention targeted participants already experiencing depressive symptoms or diagnosed with depression, or because the measured outcomes included anxiety or depression as well as loneliness. We began with an 'a priori' search strategy focusing on interventions to address loneliness in young people that either also measured anxiety and/or depression (to identify prevention strategies and their mechanisms) or for which the sample comprised young people experiencing anxiety and/or depression (to identify treatment strategies and their mechanisms) [25]. Studies conducted outside of the UK were included as long as they were reported in English.…”

“…Through CIS, the underlying data are transformed into 'synthetic constructs': higher-order theoretical concepts that capture diverse evidence [18,25,31]. These concepts summarise the key overarching themes in a diverse body of evidence, which may not be found in the literature being synthesised itself.…”

“…"I think it just makes me feel better, just knowing there's people out there just like me [with ASD]…I know I have people to talk to and people that I can ask for support". ( [54]: page 25) In evaluating their intervention, [55] noted that their Moderated Anonymous Online Groups (MAOGs) should be specific to both location and the young people's situation, for example having shared experiences of being bullied. Communicating about shared experiences might overcome the barrier of 'not talking about loneliness' identified by third sector staff [28,29] and reported for homeless youth [65] and students [48].…”

Training and Embedding Cybersecurity Guardians in Older Communities.

“…Social isolation and depression within older adults is expected to become the most prevalent cause of disease burden by 2030 [45] despite aging research establishing the importance of older adults remaining active in their communities [25] to deter some of these long-term effects [35]. However, older adults may struggle to seek help and build social networks due to emotional reticence [33] or actively disengaging with society [38].…”

“…People typically do not openly discuss cybersecurity [41] which ultimately leads to lower awareness and can facilitate attacks [9] This is also typical of other difficult subjects (e.g. social isolation [33], privacy, etc.). This type of initiative has started to demonstrate how we can generate interest and engage communities in conversation and overall awareness of such topics.…”