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Loneliness among Polish migrants in the Netherlands: The impact of presence and location of partners and offspring

Author

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  • Thijs van den Broek

    (London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Emily Grundy

    (University of Essex)

Abstract

Background: Research using nonmigrant samples indicates that having a partner and children is protective against loneliness. Such beneficial effects may be weaker for migrants with partners and/or children living in different countries. Objective: We assess how feelings of loneliness among Polish migrants in the Netherlands compare to levels among the general Dutch population and how migrants’ feelings of loneliness vary by presence and location of partners and offspring. Methods: We used weighted data from the Families of Poles in the Netherlands survey (n=1,129). Wald tests were used to compare levels of loneliness among Polish migrants with scores reported in a different study for the general Dutch population. Linear regression was used to estimate how presence and location of partners and children were associated with loneliness. Results: Polish migrants in the Netherlands were lonelier than the general Dutch population. Among men, those who had been in the Netherlands for longer were lonelier than those who had more recently arrived. Unpartnered men and men with a partner living abroad were lonelier than men with a partner living in the Netherlands. For women, no effects of presence and location of a partner were found. Presence and location of children made little difference. Conclusions: Although loneliness is often considered a problem for older individuals, feelings of loneliness are also strong among working-age Polish migrants. Consistent with studies on nonmigrant samples, we found that men with a partner were less lonely than unpartnered men, but only when the partner also resided in the Netherlands. Contribution: [see conclusions]

Suggested Citation

  • Thijs van den Broek & Emily Grundy, 2017. "Loneliness among Polish migrants in the Netherlands: The impact of presence and location of partners and offspring," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(23), pages 727-742.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:37:y:2017:i:23
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.23
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thijs van den Broek & Emily Grundy, 2018. "Parental health limitations, caregiving and loneliness among women with widowed parents: longitudinal evidence from France," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 369-377, December.
    2. Barjaková, Martina & Garnero, Andrea & d’Hombres, Béatrice, 2023. "Risk factors for loneliness: A literature review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
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    4. Thijs van den Broek & Marco Tosi, 2020. "The More the Merrier? The Causal Effect of High Fertility on Later-Life Loneliness in Eastern Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 733-748, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    loneliness; mental well-being; family proximity; intergenerational relations; Generations and Gender Survey (GGS); Netherlands; Poland; migrants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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