Perceived causes of loneliness: A cross-cultural comparison

Loneliness is a pervasive social problem which is experienced universally, regardless of one's race, gender, age or cultural background. This study ex amined the influences of cultural background on the perceptions of loneline ss antecedents. In the present study, 711 Canadians, 568 Turks, and 398 Arg entinians answered an 82-item questionnaire composed of five subscales, nam ely: Personal inadequacies, Developmental deficits, Unfulfilling intimate r elationships, Relocation/significant separation, and Social Marginality. Pa rticipants were asked to endorse those items which, in their opinion, const ituted the causes of their loneliness. Results revealed significant differe nces among the three cultures. Canadians had the highest mean scores on all subscales, while the Turkish participants had the lowest mean scores on Pe rsonal inadequacies and Developmental deficits. Gender differences also wer e examined within, and between, cultures.