- nypost
Jakarta – Recently, the Health Collaborative Center (HCC) released its latest research on the level of loneliness in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi (Jabodetabek).
This research took place in November 2023 on 1229 respondents in the majority of the Jabodetabek area.
The majority of women in this study have an age range of 21 to 60 years. The research was conducted with an online survey using the UCLA Loneliness Scale questionnaire which has been validated in Indonesian.
With random sampling and a margin of error of 1.6 and ethical clearance from the Health Ethics Commission, which refers to the level of credibility and validity of the results of this study.
Ilustrasi kesepian.
- Pixabay
Based on research conducted by lead researcher and HCC chairman dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowi, shows that 4 out of 10 people living in Jabodetabek experience moderate and severe loneliness.
dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowi emphasized that the results of the level of loneliness of the Jabodetabek community were significantly related directly to four variables, namely overseas status, young age less than 40 years, unmarried status, and female gender.
According to Basrowi, the survey using the UCLA Loneliness Scale shows that the status of migrants living in Jabodetabek has almost double the potential or risk of suffering from moderate to severe loneliness.
There is even one important indicator, namely 62 percent of loneliness indicators are formed by feelings of not fitting in with relationships and people around them.
"This is an unpleasant indicator because WHO itself has issued recommendations that the dangers of loneliness can increase the occurrence of mental health disorders, increase the risk of dangerous heart and blood vessel diseases, and even increase the risk of death," Basrowi said on Tuesday.
The results of this study further found other facts, namely more than 51 percent of the population group under the age of 40 experienced moderate loneliness with twice the risk.
Furthermore, Basrowi remarked that this finding also proves that the young age group who are at the stage of an active and productive life period experience the most loneliness.
"This means that the term support system, which is very popular among the younger generation, does not seem to be enough to support young and productive age groups in big cities from feeling lonely," Basrowi said.
Another finding from this study is related to marital status. As many as 60 percent of Jabodetabek residents who are unmarried or widows and widowers experience moderate to severe loneliness, where the risk is also statistically very significant, reaching one and a half times.
"It turns out that the marriage condition status when associated with the degree of loneliness shows a relationship with female gender," dr. Basrowi said.
"So women are indeed more vulnerable to loneliness if they are not married, at least this can be seen from the univariate analysis conducted by this study," he added.
Furthermore, Basrowi revealed, the use of the UCLA Loneliness Scale questionnaire has often been used to get an overview of the scale of loneliness in people in various countries, so this questionnaire can be scientifically accounted for.
However, these results do not 100 percent represent general conditions but are strong enough to get an indication of the degree of loneliness so that it becomes a reference, discussion, and recommendation for the community, health workers, and the government to find solutions that loneliness occurs in our society and needs to be addressed with several quick steps.
"One of the HCC recommendations based on literature studies shows the effectiveness of interaction-friendly public spaces that have been implemented in various countries in Europe and America. The results of this study are expected to trigger a discussion on the importance of mental health in Indonesia," he concluded.
