A New Perspective on Loneliness

This study was done together with the "Ametz Saba" organization and aimed to develop and analyze an activity which the organization could offer students in order to reduce the feeling of loneliness among the elderly and raise their feeling of self- efficacy. Ametz Saba pairs students with members of this population for a weekly, joint activity. Since loneliness is a common phenomenon amongst the elderly , and the feeling has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic , this study attempted to find a way to help with said feeling of loneliness. 15 pairs of students and elders were divided into an experiment and control group. Based on theories taken from CBT and positive psychology and discussions with the organization's director, an activity was developed and explained to the students in the experiment group. The students in the group were instructed to spend approximately 10 minutes of each meeting journaling the elders' social interactions over the previous week. Students and elders in the control group, continued with their usual weekly meetings. After six weeks, all the elders filled out a loneliness and self- efficacy questionnaire. There was no significant difference between the levels of loneliness and self- efficacy between the two groups, neither was there a negative correlation between the two factors. It is assumed that the insignificant results are due to a number of factors, mainly the small sample size. Further research is recommended on this subject.