A Model of Anomia in the Baltic States

The purpose of this research is to test the integrative multidimensional model of anomia, proposed by Ļevina, Mārtinsone and Kamerāde (2015) and to examine the structure of anomia among the inhabitants of the Baltic States. The secondary data from the third European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) were used. The sample consisted of the residents of Latvia (n = 1009), Lithuania (n = 1134), and Estonia (n = 1002) aged from eighteen to ninety-five years (male—35.8 percent, female—64.2 percent). In order to determine the structure of anomia among the inhabitants of the Baltic States, a principal components analysis with varimax rotation was performed on responses to the thirteen items of the questionnaire of the EQLS. The KMO measure was .85, and the Bartlett test was significant χ2 (78) = 10385.039 (p = .000). The principal components analysis revealed a structure of three components, which explained 56.54 percent of variance and could be identified as Distrust to Government and Other Social Institutions (C1), Meaninglessness (C2), and Social Isolation (C3). The same components were identified, when the principal components analysis was performed separately in the samples of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian inhabitants. The results of the research provided support for the integrative multidimensional model of anomia.