Keywords
Envelhecimento
Redes sociais
Laços familiares
Trajetórias de vida Soledad
Envejecimiento
Redes sociales
Vínculos familiares
Trayectorias de vida Loneliness
Aging
Social networks
Family ties
Life trajectories
How to Cite
Abstract
Loneliness has gained increasing relevance due to its impact on the health, well-being, and quality of life of older adults. In Chile, there is still little empirical evidence on this topic, especially in regions that have received less academic and institutional attention. This article presents a parallel, convergent, mixed-approach study conducted in the city of Arica, located in the far north of the country, which combines quantitative (n=150) and qualitative (n=15) techniques to explore both the prevalence of loneliness and the meanings that older adults themselves attribute to it. The quantitative results show moderate levels of general loneliness, with no significant differences based on gender, marital status, or educational level. The qualitative narratives delve into experiences of emotional disconnection, social isolation, and the redefinition of loneliness as a space for autonomy. Both approaches were integrated through narrative triangulation, allowing quantitative domains to be complemented with qualitative themes. The study invites a critical review of the ways in which loneliness has been defined and measured, and underscores the need to develop psychosocial interventions and public policies that strengthen family and community ties, adapted to the country's territorial and cultural diversity.
References
Aartsen, M. y Jylhä, M. (2011). Onset of loneliness in older adults: Results of a 28 year prospective study. European Journal of Ageing, 8(1), 31-38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-011-0175-7
Arias, C. y Polizzi, L. (2012). Pareja, hijos y amigos. Análisis de sus atributos y funciones de apoyo social en la vejez. En IV Congreso Internacional de Investigación y Práctica Profesional en Psicología. XIX Jornadas de Investigación, VIII Encuentro de Investigadores en Psicología del MERCOSUR. Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Buenos Aires. https://www.aacademica.org/000-072/326.pdf
Barreto, M., Victor, C., Hammond, C., Eccles, A., Richins, M. T. y Qualter, P. (2021). Loneliness around the world: Age, gender, and cultural differences in loneliness. Personality and Individual Differences, 169, 110066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110066
Blanco, M. (2011). El enfoque del curso de vida: orígenes y desarrollo. Revista Latinoamericana de Población, 5(8), 5-31. https://doi.org/10.31406/relap2011.v5.i1.n8.1
Braun, V. y Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Carrasco, M., Fernández, M. B., Alexander, E. y Herrera, M. S. (2021). Loneliness in older Chilean people: Importance of family dysfunction and depression. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 23(1), 99-109. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2021.011568
Casas-Martí, J. (2023). Experiencias de soledad y dependencia en (algunas) personas mayores hospitalizadas: La crisis de los cuidados como un reto para el Trabajo Social. Itinerarios de Trabajo Social, (3), 58-65. https://doi.org/10.1344/its.i3.40753
Casas-Martí, J. (2024). Pensar les soledats des del Treball Social. Avenços i tensions en l'atenció a les persones grans i la seva diversitat [Tesis doctoral, Universitat de Barcelona]. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/694397
Celdrán, M. (2022). La soledat és una bona companya de viatge a la meva vida? En J. R. Riera (Ed.), Les soledats: Reflexions, causes i efectes (p. 127-134). Icaria Editorial.
Centro de Estudios de Vejez y Envejecimiento (CEVE-UC). (2020). Calidad de vida de las personas mayores chilenas durante pandemia COVID-19. https://sociologia.uc.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/libro_calidad-de-vida-pm-ycovid-19-.pdf
Cohen-Mansfield, J., Hazan, H., Lerman, Y., y Shalom, V. (2016). Correlates and predictors of loneliness in older-adults: A review of quantitative results informed by qualitative insights. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(4), 557-576. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610215001532
Creswell, J. W. y Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage Publications.
Dahlberg, K. (2007). The enigmatic phenomenon of loneliness. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2(4), 195-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482620701626117
Dahlberg, L., Andersson, L. y Lennartsson, C. (2018). Long-term predictors of loneliness in old age: Results of a 20-year national study. Aging & Mental Health, 22(2), 190-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1247425
de Jong Gierveld, J. (1998). A review of loneliness: Concept and definitions, determinants and consequences. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 8(1), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959259898008090
de Jong Gierveld, J. y Tesch-Römer, C. (2012). Loneliness in old age in Eastern and Western European societies: Theoretical perspectives. European Journal of Ageing, 9(4), 285-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-012-0248-2
de Jong Gierveld, J. y van Tilburg, T. (2006). A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: Confirmatory tests on survey data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582-598. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027506289723
de Jong Gierveld, J. y van Tilburg, T. (2016). Social isolation and loneliness. En H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (2ª ed., pp. 175-178). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397045-9.00118-X
de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T. y Dykstra, P. (2018). New ways of theorizing and researching in the field of loneliness and social isolation. En A. Vangelisti y D. Perlman (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships (pp. 391-404). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316417867.031
Elder, G., y Johnson, M. (2018). The life course and aging: Challenges, lessons, and new directions. En M. Shanahan, J. Mortimer, & M. Johnson (Eds.), Invitation to the life course: Toward new understandings of later life (pp. 49-81). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316417867.031
Elgart, S. B. (2019). Análisis de los vínculos de amistad y cambios de la red de apoyo social en la vejez [Tesis doctoral, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata]. https://repositorioslatinoamericanos.uchile.cl/handle/2250/4415998
Fernández-Ballesteros, R. (2009). Envejecimiento activo: Contribuciones de la psicología. Pirámide.
Fernández-Dávila, P., Casas-Martí, J. y Gallardo-Peralta, L. P. (2025). Loneliness, Protective/Risk Factors, and Coping Strategies Among Older Adults: A Transnational Qualitative Approach. Social Sciences, 14(4), 251. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14040251
Fernández-Dávila, P. (2024). La soledad en las personas mayores chilenas: Una conceptualización a través de factores biopsicosociales y las trayectorias de vida [Tesis doctoral, Universidad Complutense de Madrid]. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104308
Fokkema, T., de Jong Gierveld, J. y Dykstra, P. (2012). Cross-national differences in older adult loneliness. The Journal of Psychology, 146(1-2), 201-228. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2011.631612
Fullerton, C., Arteaga, M. I., Barnet, N., Barrios, D., Burgos, I., González, M. F. y Venegas, J. (2017). Prevalencia y niveles de soledad en adultos mayores asistentes a actividades de la municipalidad de Vitacura. Revista GPU, 13(3), 312-318.
Gajardo, J. (2015). Vejez y soledad: implicancias a partir de la construcción de la noción de riesgo. Acta bioethica, 21(2), 199-205. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S1726-569X2015000200006
Gallardo-Peralta, L., Casas-Martí, J. y Fernández-Dávila, P. (2024). Soledad(es) en las personas mayores: Avances y retos desde el trabajo social gerontológico. En J. Garcés Ferrer (Ed.), Tratado general de trabajo social, servicios sociales y política social: Tomo I. Trabajo social (pp. 663-695). Tirant Humanidades. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9598374
Gallardo-Peralta, L., Sánchez-Moreno, E., Rodríguez-Rodríguez, V. y García-Martín, M. (2023). La investigación sobre soledad y redes de apoyo social en las personas mayores: Una revisión sistemática en Europa. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 97, 1-20.
Gallardo-Peralta, L., Mayorga-Muñoz, C. y Soto-Higuera, A. (2022). Health, social support, resilience and successful ageing among older Chilean adults. International Social Work, 65(2), 283-299. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872819901147
Gallardo-Peralta, L. (2019). Soledad en las personas mayores chilenas: Su implicancia en el envejecimiento con éxito. Paraninfo Digital, 1-3. https://ciberindex.com/index.php/pd/article/view/e30096/e30096
Gallardo-Peralta, L., Barrón, A., Molina-Martínez, M. Á. y Schettini, R. (2018). Family and community support among older Chilean adults: The importance of heterogeneous social support sources for quality of life. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 61(6), 584-604. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2018.1489928
Gallardo-Peralta, L., Conde-Llanes, D. y Córdova, I. (2016). Asociación entre envejecimiento exitoso y participación social de personas mayores chilenas. Gerokomos, 27(3), 104-108. https://gerokomos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/27-3-2016-104.pdf
Goldman, A. y Cornwell, B. (2018). Social disadvantage and instability in older adults' ties to their adult children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(5), 1314-1332. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12503
Hawkley, L. C. y Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40(2), 218-227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8
Heidinger, T. y Richter, L. (2020). The effect of COVID-19 on loneliness in the elderly: An empirical comparison of pre-and peri-pandemic loneliness in community-dwelling elderly. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 585308. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.585308
Herrera, M. S., Elgueta, R., Fernández, M. B., Giacoman, C., Leal, D., Marshall, P., Rubio, M. y Bustamante, F. (2021). A longitudinal study monitoring the quality of life in a national cohort of older adults in Chile before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. BMC Geriatrics, 21, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02110-3
Hogerbrugge, M. J. A. y Silverstein, M. D. (2015). Transitions in relationships with older parents: From middle to later years. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 70(3), 481-495. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu069
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C. y Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26(6), 655-672. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027504268574
Huxhold, O., Miche, M. y Schu?z, B. (2014). Benefits of having friends in older ages: Differential effects of informal social activities on well-being in middle-aged and older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 69(3), 366-375. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt029
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) (2022). Envejecimiento en Chile: Evolución, características de las personas mayores y desafíos demográficos para la población. Documento de Trabajo. https://www.senama.gob.cl/storage/docs/envejecimiento-en-chile-evolucion-y-caracteristicas-de-las-personas-mayores.pdf
Jylhä, M. (2004). Old age and loneliness: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in the Tampere Longitudinal Study on Aging. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue Canadienne du Vieillissement, 23(2), 157-168. https://doi.org/10.1353/cja.2004.0023
León-Aguilera, D., Gómez-Maldonado, E., Urrutia-Quiroz, B. y Rojas, N. (2021). Soledad en personas mayores: Una propuesta de intervención a través del acompañamiento telefónico en Santiago de Chile. Anales en Gerontología, 13(13), 117-144. https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/49684
López-Doblas, J. y Díaz-Conde, M. P. (2018). El sentimiento de soledad en la vejez. Revista Internacional de Sociología, 76(1), e085. https://doi.org/10.3989/ris.2018.76.1.16.164
López, J., Pérez?Rojo, G., Noriega, C., Martínez?Huertas, J. Á. y Velasco, C. (2022). Emotional distress among older adults during the COVID?19 outbreak: Understanding the longitudinal psychological impact of the COVID?19 pandemic. Psychogeriatrics, 22(1), 77-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyg.12781
Luhmann, M. y Hawkley, L. (2016). Age differences in loneliness from late adolescence to oldest old age. Developmental Psychology, 52(6), 943-959. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000117
Lykes, V. y Kemmelmeier, M. (2014). What predicts loneliness? Cultural difference between individualistic and collectivistic societies in Europe. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 45(3), 468-490. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113509881
Morrison, P. y Smith, R. (2017). Loneliness: An overview. En O. Saran (Ed.), Narratives of loneliness: Multidisciplinary perspectives from the 21st century (pp. 11-25). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315645582
Motta, V. (2021). Key concept: loneliness. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 28(1), 71-81. https://doi.org/10.1353/ppp.2021.0012
Ogrin, R., Cyarto, E., Harrington, K., Haslam, C., Lim, M. H., Golenko, X., Bush, M., Vadasz, D., Johnstone, G. y Lowthian, J. A. (2021). Loneliness in older age: What is it, why is it happening and what should we do about it in Australia? Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40(2), 202-207. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12929
Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2002). Envejecimiento activo: Un marco político. OMS. https://www.who.int/es
Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2021). Aislamiento social y soledad entre las personas mayores: Informe de promoción. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240030749
Organización Panamericana de la Salud. (2020). Las funciones esenciales de la salud pública en las Américas. Una renovación para el siglo XXI. Marco conceptual y descripción. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/53125
Palacios, J., Pérez-Cruz, P. y Webb, A. (2022). The experience of caring for an older relative in Chile: Going beyond the burden of care. Ageing & Society, 42(6), 1340-1359. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X20001567
Pinquart, M. y Sörensen, S. (2001). Gender differences in self-concept and psychological well-being in old age: A meta-analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 56(4), 195-213. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/56.4.P195
Rodríguez-Blázquez, C., Ayala-García, A., Forjaz, M. J. y Gallardo-Peralta, L. (2021). Validation of the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, 6-item version, in a multiethnic population of Chilean older adults. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40(4), 447-456. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12893
Rubio, R. (2004). La soledad en las personas mayores españolas. Portal Mayores. http://envejecimiento.csic.es/documentos/documentos/rubio-soledad-01.pdf
Sánchez-Rodríguez, M. (2009). Determinantes sociales de la soledad en las personas mayores españolas: Dar y recibir apoyo en el proceso de envejecer [Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Salamanca]. https://doi.org/10.14201/gredos.76320
Schinka, K. C., VanDulmen, M. H. M., Bossarte, R. y Swahn, M. (2012). Association between loneliness and suicidality during middle childhood and adolescence: Longitudinal effects and the role of demographic characteristics. The Journal of Psychology, 146(1-2), 105-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2011.584084
Sequeira, D. (2012). La soledad en las personas mayores: Factores protectores de riesgo. Evidencias empíricas en adultos mayores chilenos [Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Granada]. https://digibug.ugr.es/handle/10481/21617
Stall, N. M., Savage, R. D. y Rochon, P. A. (2019). Loneliness in older adults. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 191(17), E476-E476. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.181655
UC-Caja Los Andes. (2020). Chile y sus mayores: Quinta Encuesta Nacional de Calidad de Vida en la Vejez 2019. https://www.cajalosandes.cl/cs/groups/public/documents/document/cmvz/ltiw/~edisp/chile-mayores-20202.pdf
van Tilburg, T. G., Steinmetz, S., Stolte, E., Van der Roest, H. y de Vries, D. H. (2021). Loneliness and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study among Dutch older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(7), 249-255. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa111
Waite, L. y Das, A. (2010). Families, social life, and well-being at older ages. Demography, 47(1), 87-109. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2010.0009
Yang, K. y Victor, C. (2011). Age and loneliness in 25 European nations. Ageing & Society, 31(8), 1368-1388. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X1000139X
Yanguas, J. (2018). Soledad y personas mayores. Universidad Internacional de Valencia. https://www.universidadviu.com/es/actualidad/informes-viu/soledad-y-personas-mayores
Yanguas, J., Cilveti, A., Hernández, S., Pinazo-Hernandis, S., Roig, S. y Segura, C. (2018). El reto de la soledad en la vejez. Zerbitzuan, 66, 61-75. https://doi.org/10.5569/1134-7147.66.05
Yanguas, J., Pérez, M., Puga, M. D., Tarazona, F., Losada, A., Márquez, M., Pedroso, M. D. S. y Pinazo, S. (2020). El reto de la soledad en las personas mayores. Fundación bancaria “La Caixa”. https://solidaridadintergeneracional.es/files/biblioteca/documentos/reto-soledad.pdf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Universum (Talca. Online)
