Abstract
Loneliness is an individually unpleasant state on both, social and emotional levels, coming up in consequence of insufficient social bonds. Social loneliness is interconnected with loneliness as such and is caused by the absence of relationships with friends and other people.
Emotional loneliness is caused by the absence of a close relationship based on mutual understanding. Loneliness is a subjective, individual state occurring throughout the life; it tends to be considered a problem when it becomes chronic.
One of the basic assessment methods of loneliness is scales. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most frequently used one due to its high validity and appropriate reliability.
There are a number of theories on loneliness. The most respected one is based on cognitive theory.
Loneliness is a risk factor in developing somatic and mental diseases; it contributes both to higher sickness and death rates. Loneliness tends to be accompanied by depression, low quality of sleep, anxiety, memory impairment, schizophrenia.
It causes cognitive impairment, increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases; it causes immune deficiency. In children, the lack of social contact may become a predictor of later depression, dissocial behaviour, self-injury, and suicidal behaviour.
Genetic causal links were proved. The most effective, based on an extensive meta-analysis of intervention methods aimed at the reduction of loneliness, proved to be interventions aimed at changing maladaptive social cognitive patterns, i.e. cognitive-behavioural therapy even though it has not been widely used in this field.
Thus, other studies to prove its efficiency are needed.