INFLUENCE OF SPIRITUALITY ON THE PERCEPTION OF LONELINESS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY

• Grant number: 25/01913-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Keika Inouye
• Grantee: Adriana dos Santos Bocchio
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies show that spirituality has an important influence on the biopsychosocial aspects of people's lives. Especially with the changes imposed by the aging process, spirituality can be an opportune resource for reframing and facing possible deterioration in health, loss of social roles, retirement and loneliness. In this sense, this research aims to verify whether there is a correlation between spirituality and loneliness among elderly people in the community. This is a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study in which elderly people living within the scope of the Family Health Units in the city of São Carlos (SP) will be interviewed. The instruments for data collection will be: the participant's sociodemographic characterization questionnaire, the Pinto and Pais-Ribeiro Spirituality Assessment Scale and the Daniel Russell Loneliness Scale. The data obtained will be entered into a database in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows program to carry out descriptive and correlational statistical analyses. All stages of this work will comply with the ethical guidelines of scientific research involving human beings in accordance with Resolution 466/2012 and 510/16 of the National Health Council. The research hypothesis is that the relationship between spirituality and loneliness is inversely proportional, that is, the more spiritualized the elderly person is, the lower their perception of loneliness. (AU)