Introduction:

Elders are a topic of interest and attention on the part of society in general, not only because for demographic reasons they are increasingly numerous, but also because of the growing sensitivity to the social situations they present.

Objective:

To characterize the subjective perception of loneliness in elderly people living alone belonging to a health control area in Santiago de Cuba, during the period June to October 2021.

Method:

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 14 elderly through purposive non-probabilistic sampling. Instruments used for the evaluation were: semi-estructure interview, Social Support Questionnaire (CAS-7), Scale of Loneliness in the Elderly (IMSOL-AM), Scale of Psychological Well-being for Adults (BIEPS-A) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).

Results:

There was a predominance of subjects of the female sex, widows and with ages between 70 to 80 years. Feelings of loneliness were not appreciated in most of them. The perception of health that prevailed was regular, with medium and dense support networks that perceived the need for social support, instrumental support being the most demanded. High scores were presented in psychological well-being, as well as in satisfaction with life.

Conclusions:

Loneliness impacts subjectively from the assessment of their reality, and is determined by the relationship between expectations and what they get with their intimacy. In this sense, the appearance of the feeling of loneliness was mostly related to the perception of health, self-efficacy and its influence on the psychological well-being variables.

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