The Relationship Between the Level of Satisfaction of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Loneliness, Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Individuals.
Eylül Gülnur Erdoğan, Sevinç Mersin
PMID 40183237WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in Turkey who reported more loneliness also reported less satisfaction of their basic and social needs; those who were happier or more satisfied with life reported more needs satisfaction.
This does not prove one causes the other.
Key findings
01When happiness, life satisfaction and loneliness scores were considered together, higher happiness and life satisfaction were associated with higher total needs satisfaction, and higher loneliness was associated with lower total needs satisfaction.
02Loneliness scores varied by age, education and income perception, with mean loneliness scores of 13.61 when income was less than expenditure, 12.17 when income matched expenditure and 10.69 when income was more than expenditure.
03Older adults living with a spouse reported higher mean happiness and total needs satisfaction scores than those living alone, with children or with relatives.
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How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured people at one time, so it cannot show that unmet needs cause loneliness or that meeting needs improves happiness or life satisfaction. All outcomes were self-reported, so responses could be affected by subjective bias. Participants were from a Turkish province and mainly city-centre residents, and the paper notes that findings may not apply to other regions or cultures. The Maslow's needs form was developed by the researchers for this study and had content validity from experts, but the paper does not report its reliability. The study excluded people who could not understand or speak for the questionnaire, so it does not cover older adults with communication problems. The analysis focused on a limited set of demographic factors and did not include other variables such as health status.
Declared interests
The paper states that the authors have no conflicts of interest, but it does not report a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that meeting older adults' basic or social needs will reduce loneliness or increase happiness. The study only found associations at one time from self-reported questionnaires, so it cannot show that one causes the other.