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Cited by 35Gender Roles and Identity StudiesHealth disparities and outcomesAging, Elder Care, and Social Issues

Loneliness, coping practices and masculinities in later life: Findings from a study of older men living alone in England

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Willis, Paul, Vickery, Alex·2022·Health & Social Care in the Community
DOI 10.1111/hsc.13732PMC PMC9542843
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Abstract

While much attention has been given to loneliness as a public health and societal problem less consideration has been given to men's experiences, particularly in later life, and there is a limited evidence based on what works with supporting older men to counteract the impact of loneliness on their mental and social wellbeing. In this paper, we focus on the experiences of older men living alone in the community. Between 2017-2018 72 men residing in England (65-95 years) took part in the study and shared their accounts of experiencing and addressing loneliness on an everyday basis. We generated qualitative data through semi-structured interviews. Interview data were analysed thematically using the framework analysis approach. We present and discuss findings on the difficulties older men experience in responding to and discussing loneliness and the range of coping practices men applied within their home environments. Three core themes are presented: 1. Maintaining silence around loneliness and distress; 2. Getting on with it versus feeling stuck in loneliness and, 3. Temporary remedies and distractions from loneliness from within the home. Across men's accounts, 'the home' is constructed as a space of biographical connections with others as well as a restrictive environment of separation from others. In relation to help-seeking and efforts to break silence surrounding loneliness, the findings speak to the ways in which masculinities and social expectations attached to male roles complicate older men's varying attempts at help-seeking and underpin some of their everyday methods of coping with loneliness. The findings reiterate the importance of targeted individual support for older men, particularly for those feeling frozen in loneliness. Facilitators of group-based support for older men need to recognise the different and potentially conflicting positions older male service users may adopt in relation to help-seeking that are configured around masculine ideals but in diverging ways.

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  • This combination of outreach and training should equip choirs not just to attract new members from different backgrounds, but to foster valuable spaces for expanding notions of diversity and normalising counter-hegemonic discourse.

    “This combination of outreach and training should equip choirs not just to attract new members from different backgrounds, but to foster valuable spaces for expanding notions of diversity and normalising counter-hegemonic discourse (Willis & Vickery 2022).”

    From ‘I don’t care who joins my choir’: Investigating attitudes to diversity and inclusivity in lower- and upper-voice choirs in the United Kingdom (2025) · cites this paper as Willis & Vickery 2022

    The Discussion says that groups such as Men’s Sheds can provide space to discuss ideas counter to hegemonic masculine norms and normalise less traditional masculinities. It does not establish that outreach and training will equip choirs to recruit members from different backgrounds or foster diversity more broadly. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Willis, P., & Vickery, A.
Affiliations
University of Bristol (GB)
Corresponding author
Willis, Paul
ORCID
Venue
Health & Social Care in the Community
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2022-01-26
Volume
30
Issue
5
Pages
e2874-e2883
ISSN
  • 0966-0410 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2524
DOI
10.1111/hsc.13732
PMC
PMC9542843
OpenAlex
W4210775832
Cited by
35
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1
FWCI
8.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Health & Social Care in the Community (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
School for Social Care Research (CO88/CM/UBDA‐P110)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
Keywords
loneliness, older men, living alone, masculinity, coping strategies, help-seeking, family environment, social isolation, old age, psychological well-being
MeSH terms
Home Environment, Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Emotions, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Masculinity

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