The role of friends in predicting loneliness among older women living alone.

This study examines the role of friends in predicting loneliness among 53 women age 65 and older who live alone. It was hypothesized that friends would be more important in predicting loneliness for those participants who did not have family living in close proximity than for those who had family nearby. However, this was not the case: Self-reported close friends were important for women living alone, regardless of whether they had family living locally. Nurses may want to use these findings to encourage older women to make social connections, even if they live close to their family.