Keywords
Soledad, Personas mayores, Diagnóstico social, Valoración social, Aislamiento social, Trabajo social, Loneliness, Older adults, Social assessment, Social diagnosis, Social isolation, Social work
The social diagnosis of loneliness in older adults: A mixed-methods study
Abstract
Este estudio analiza cómo los trabajadores sociales incorporan la soledad y el aislamiento social en los procesos de valoración y diagnóstico social de personas mayores de sesenta y cinco años. Se utilizó un diseño de métodos mixtos con 425 participantes, incluyendo trabajadores sociales, personas mayores y otros agentes implicados, mediante entrevistas individuales, grupos focales y cuestionarios realizados en Barcelona. Los resultados muestran que la mayoría de los profesionales incluyen la soledad en el diagnóstico social, aunque su aplicación sistemática depende de factores organizativos, la carga de trabajo y el contexto institucional. La detección se basa principalmente en entrevistas y observación más que en herramientas estandarizadas. Además, muchas personas mayores no verbalizan la soledad en fases tempranas, lo que refuerza la necesidad de procesos diagnósticos longitudinales y relacionales. El estudio destaca la importancia de fortalecer los marcos diagnósticos, mejorar la formación profesional y promover respuestas preventivas basadas en la evidencia.
This study analyses how social workers incorporate loneliness and social isolation into social assessment and diagnostic processes with older adults over sixty-five years. A mixed-methods design was used, involving a total of 425 participants (including social workers, older adults, and other stakeholders) through individual interviews, focus groups, and a questionnaire conducted in Barcelona, Spain. The findings show that a large majority of social workers report always or often including loneliness in the social diagnosis, indicating a high level of professional awareness. However, its translation into systematic diagnostic practices remains uneven and strongly influenced by organizational factors, workload, and institutional context. Detection is mainly based on interviews and observation rather than on standardized tools, and many older adults do not verbalize loneliness at early stages. The study highlights the importance of strengthening diagnostic frameworks, improving professional training, and creating organizational conditions that enable more coherent, preventive, and evidence-informed responses to loneliness in later life.
This study analyses how social workers incorporate loneliness and social isolation into social assessment and diagnostic processes with older adults over sixty-five years. A mixed-methods design was used, involving a total of 425 participants (including social workers, older adults, and other stakeholders) through individual interviews, focus groups, and a questionnaire conducted in Barcelona, Spain. The findings show that a large majority of social workers report always or often including loneliness in the social diagnosis, indicating a high level of professional awareness. However, its translation into systematic diagnostic practices remains uneven and strongly influenced by organizational factors, workload, and institutional context. Detection is mainly based on interviews and observation rather than on standardized tools, and many older adults do not verbalize loneliness at early stages. The study highlights the importance of strengthening diagnostic frameworks, improving professional training, and creating organizational conditions that enable more coherent, preventive, and evidence-informed responses to loneliness in later life.
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