ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Sociology of Families
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1528886
Exploring Loneliness in Elderly Javanese and Social Support
Provisionally accepted
- 1Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
- 2National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia
- 3Universitas Malikussaleh, Reuleuet, Indonesia
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As people age, many elderly individuals reduce their social interactions. This decline in social engagement leads to vulnerability, one of which is loneliness. Loneliness among the elderly can be associated with a decline in both mental and physical health, affecting their overall well-being. This study explores loneliness experienced by the elderly and how culture and social support can mitigate it. Eleven women, aged 60 years and older, living alone in Simomulyo Baru Village, Surabaya, Indonesia, were involved in the study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations using the narrative analysis method. Most participants did not feel lonely despite living alone. Collectivist cultures (Guyub) and social support play a key role in decreasing loneliness, with material, emotional, and companionship support being highly needed in the context of current social changes. However, instrumental and informational support are not yet available. Collectivism and social support, especially from family and the community, help alleviate loneliness in the elderly. It is crucial to support and develop the family and community around the elderly, creating an elderlyfriendly environment in their living areas. Further research is expected to explore how significant cultural and social contexts can affect elderly loneliness.
Keywords: Elderly loneliness, social support, culture, Well-being, Mental Health
Received: 15 Nov 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Amalia, Ida, Kinasih, Jayaputra and Shamadiyah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ayu Diah Amalia, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
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