Old people living alone: consequences and prevention Important findings in the field of solitary life in old age and the problem of loneliness are presented. Difficulties experienced by old people due to loneliness should not be neglected and their impact on their physical and mental health and general wellbeing needs to be addressed. Therefore some interventions are described that proved to be effective in preventing negative consequences of loneliness among the elderly. As the social network is very important for the health of the old, the most successful interventions are those based on strengthening the social support of old people (for example cooperation within associations, providing support to others, multigenerational households).
Abstract. We examined the changing sense of control over one's life during epidemics. Using original survey data during the first lockdown in May 2020 our case study focuses on Ljubljana's multi-apartment buildings (MAB) which, due to the physical proximity of the residents and the common spaces/facilities represent a distinct case with its particular threats (infection spread) and potential resources (neighbourly support) for coping with epidemic-related problems. We found a dramatic drop in perceived control over one's life, from 75% of respondents in usual times to 35% during the pandemic. Accounting for a range of epidemic-associated occurrences in the building and among the residents our regression analysis shows their significant impact on residents' sense of control that highly exceeding those of the quality of life and of basic socio-demographic characteristics. While our case study demonstrates that the specific setting of an MAB can provide a valuable layer of human action in times of crisis, further research is needed to permit generalisations. Keywords: pandemic, perceived control over one's life, ontological security, multi-apartment buildings, wellbeing, control over one's life
In order to achieve goals and wishes regarding one's own psychophysical wellbeing, humans use different strategies of emotional balancing. One of these is also the use of psychoactive substances (hereinafter PAS). In case of individual's common use of PAS, dependency can develop where individual's various brain mechanisms and functions, which are essential in balancing affect conditions, can be altered. The concept of alexithymia, which is characteristic for addicts, includes deficits in the cognitive-experiential domain of emotional responses and on the level of interpersonal regulation of emotions. Incapable of distinctly recognizing their own subjective feelings, the addicts communicate their own emotional distress to other people very unsatisfactory. Consequentially, they cannot obtain others as sources of help or comfort. The master's thesis tries to answer the research question whether the persons being treated for the dependency of PAS are different from the persons who are not treated for the dependency of PAS, i.e. in the field of the painful affects regulation, on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, and on the level of alexithymia. The master's thesis is divided into three theoretical chapters, which represent the concept of regulation of the positive and negative affect, the collection and the efficiency of various affect regulation strategies. The master's thesis represents various PAS and also the syndrome of dependency of PAS as well as emotions in the addicts. The methodology of research, the results, and the discussion on the acquired results are presented in the empirical part. The results of the research showed statistically significant differences between the groups on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, on the level of alexithymia, and in painful affects regulation strategies. The master's thesis contributes to better understanding of the role of the affective dis/regulation in persons treated for the dependency of PAS. It presents inner, personal factors which contributed to the emergence of the dependency. It shows the importance and the role of emotional regulation in the process of treating persons addicted to PAS. ; In order to achieve goals and wishes regarding one's own psychophysical wellbeing, humans use different strategies of emotional balancing. One of these is also the use of psychoactive substances (hereinafter PAS). In case of individual's common use of PAS, dependency can develop where individual's various brain mechanisms and functions, which are essential in balancing affect conditions, can be altered. The concept of alexithymia, which is characteristic for addicts, includes deficits in the cognitive-experiential domain of emotional responses and on the level of interpersonal regulation of emotions. Incapable of distinctly recognizing their own subjective feelings, the addicts communicate their own emotional distress to other people very unsatisfactory. Consequentially, they cannot obtain others as sources of help or comfort. The master's thesis tries to answer the research question whether the persons being treated for the dependency of PAS are different from the persons who are not treated for the dependency of PAS, i.e. in the field of the painful affects regulation, on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, and on the level of alexithymia. The master's thesis is divided into three theoretical chapters, which represent the concept of regulation of the positive and negative affect, the collection and the efficiency of various affect regulation strategies. The master's thesis represents various PAS and also the syndrome of dependency of PAS as well as emotions in the addicts. The methodology of research, the results, and the discussion on the acquired results are presented in the empirical part. The results of the research showed statistically significant differences between the groups on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, on the level of alexithymia, and in painful affects regulation strategies. The master's thesis contributes to better understanding of the role of the affective dis/regulation in persons treated for the dependency of PAS. It presents inner, personal factors which contributed to the emergence of the dependency. It shows the importance and the role of emotional regulation in the process of treating persons addicted to PAS.
