New publication for the PROMISE project: Social network elements in loneliness interventions for older migrants
Mirjam Kingma, Tineke Fokkema, Bianca Suanet and Basak Bilecen have recently published the first paper from the PROMISE-project titled: “Social network elements in loneliness interventions for older migrants: Insights from intervention documents and trainers”.
In this study, the researchers analysed which social network elements contribute to reducing loneliness and how they are currently integrated into Dutch interventions. Based on a literature review, the authors concluded that network quality and expectation management are particularly important in combating loneliness among older migrants, rather than network size.
Through content analysis of intervention documents and interviews with trainers, we find that the quality and expectations of social relationships are included in the analysed intervention documents. However, the findings show that socially sensitive topics, such as the quality of relationships, remain difficult to address within intervention groups. Therefore, the authors suggest combining group and individual formats to better facilitate discussions on these sensitive topics.
The authors are grateful to the interviewed trainers who helped make this paper possible!
The article is fully open access. You can read the paper using this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378873326000584
In-depth interviews with older migrants and their children
All interviews with older migrants from Turkey, China, and Iran and their children have now been completed. The interviews with older people from the former Dutch East Indies are well underway. The purpose of these in-depth interviews is to gain a better understanding of the taboo surrounding loneliness within these migrant groups and to explore how this taboo can be broken.
During the in-depth interviews with older migrants, we used photo elicitation: by showing photographs, we gained more insight into what loneliness means to them and what support or needs they experience when they feel lonely. In the conversations with the children, we learned more about how they talk- or do not talk – with their father or mother about loneliness and how they perceive their own role in their parent’s loneliness.
The findings from these interviews form an important foundation for further developing interventions and trainings that can effectively address loneliness among older migrants.ribute personally or with your organization to the recruitment of one or more of these target groups? If so, please send an email to Mirjam Kingma at m.l.kingma@rug.nl.
First meeting of the advisory committee for the PROMISE-project
At the beginning of January, the advisory committee for the PROMISE-project convened for the first time. This committee is made up of three renowned experts:
- Halleh Ghorashi, Professor of Anthropology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Anja Machielse, Emeritus Professor of Humanism and Social Resilience, and Special Professor of Social Resilience of Older Adults at the University of Humanistic Studies
- Theo van Tilburg, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Together, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. During the first meeting, we discussed the interview questionnaire and the accompanying photos with Halleh Ghorashi and Theo van Tilburg. Based on their constructive feedback, we restructured the questionnaire and made some adjustments to the photos. Their input has helped us take another step forward in preparing for the in-depth interviews. We look forward to the next meeting with the advisory committee.