Search Results (259)

Loneliness is a significant challenge for millions worldwide, with chronic loneliness having harmful effects on physical health, mental well-being, and relationships. Cognitive distortions play an important role in perpetuating loneliness. Psychological interventions targeting such distortions have been effective at alleviating feelings of loneliness. However, less is known about which cognitive distortions are most prevalent among lonely individuals and how these distortions relate to loneliness and mental well-being. This exploratory study prescreened a Census-matched sample of 1000 U.S. adults for loneliness, then asked those in the top quartile (N = 237) to rate multiple patterns of cognitive distortion related to loneliness. Factor analyses identified six common and influential patterns of cognitive distortion (mindreading, future reward, catastrophizing, essentializing, deservedness, and externalizing). Essentializing was the most strongly endorsed factor, followed by mindreading and catastrophizing. Essentializing also evidenced the strongest correlation with loneliness. Additionally, the relationship between loneliness and participants’ stress was completely mediated by mindreading, catastrophizing, and essentializing. These findings highlight the importance of targeting specific cognitive distortions in loneliness interventions to effectively improve the mental well-being of lonely individuals. Full article

Background/Objectives: Loneliness is the sensation of feeling alone or emotionally isolated, even when one is surrounded by other people. It is associated with conditions such as depression, anxiety, harmful habits, and cardiovascular problems. The main objective of the present study was to develop and determine the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Loneliness Scale (MLS), which is a self-report instrument. Methods: The present study is instrumental in nature, as it aims to analyze the psychometric properties of a new assessment instrument. A total of 484 adults, both men and women, aged between 18 and 55 years, participated in this research. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed the presence of four dimensions: social disconnection, family estrangement, loss of attachment figure, and intrapersonal emptiness. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the four-dimensional model exhibited a good fit (CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.07; SRMR = 0.07; AIC = 737.87). The concurrent validity was evidenced by significant correlations with the De Jong Gierveld scale and the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. The reliability analysis demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, with omega coefficients ranging from 0.84 to 0.92 and alpha coefficients from 0.84 to 0.93. Conclusions: The MLS is a self-report instrument designed to assess loneliness, and it has satisfactory psychometric properties. Full article

Background/Objectives: Both traumatic and stressful events, including major life changes, may contribute to post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS), often associated with anxiety and depression. Feelings of loneliness may influence these relationships, whilst social support seems to mitigate the effects of stressful events on mental health. Our study thus aimed to evaluate the mediating role of loneliness in the relationships between PTS and both anxiety and depressive symptoms among university students. Methods: The data were from the CAMPUS study (0058642/21; FHMS 20-21 157), a survey on university students’ mental health in Italy and the UK. Using a logit model, mediation analyses were carried out to test whether the relationships between PTS and both anxiety and depressive symptoms might be mediated by loneliness. A path analysis was then performed to jointly test the associations between the Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R)’s subscales and clinical domains. Results: Positive associations were found between PTS and both anxiety (p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). However, loneliness mediated approximately 22% of the effect of the PTS on anxiety symptoms (indirect effect: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.59; 1.48, p < 0.001) and approximately 33% of the effect of the PTS on depressive symptoms (indirect effect: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.22; 2.39, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the path analysis indicated associations between the IES-R’s hyperarousal subscale and both anxiety (coeff.: 0.34, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (coeff.: 0.27, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Along with the associations between PTS and both anxiety and depressive symptoms, our findings highlight the key role of loneliness in both these associations. Targeted interventions to reduce loneliness, especially for students exposed to traumatic events, may ultimately improve their mental health. Full article

Background: Loneliness is both a social and a health-related problem, and among LGBT people, feelings of loneliness are often exacerbated. According to the minority stress theory, stress and loneliness can be directly related to the discrimination and stigma that are experienced over time in a heteronormative society. Exposure to social stigma causes mental health problems, stress, and loneliness, coupled with increased social and economic vulnerability. Method: The aim of this study was to conduct an exploratory analysis of homosexual men’s feelings of loneliness and their relationship with experiences of discrimination throughout their life. A qualitative methodology involving focus groups and individual interviews was utilized. Results: The results show the double or overlapping discriminations that gay men experience as a result of their age and sexual orientation and, in some cases, their HIV status, and the relationship between said discrimination and the feeling of unwanted loneliness. Exposure to such intolerance is more common among those with a reduced social network, which limits their social participation and has a negative impact on their well-being. Conclusion. The aging process of LGBT people implies a new context of intervention and research that must be addressed to prevent episodes of unwanted loneliness that negatively affect the quality of life among this demographic. Full article

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of the general population, particularly older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between loneliness and mental health disorders in this demographic during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Portugal using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) database between June and August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic (Wave 8 COVID-19 Survey), using computer-assisted telephone interviews. Results: The final sample included 836 participants, with 387 (46.4%) men and a mean age of 74.5 years (SD = 6.7). Mental health indicators revealed that 441 (52.1%) reported feelings of nervousness, 384 (45.3%) experienced sadness or depression, 349 (41.2%) encountered sleeping difficulties, and 280 (33.1%) reported experiencing loneliness often or some of the time. Increased feelings of loneliness were notably associated with women in poorer health, those with heightened fear of falling, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and concurrent health and sleep issues. Age and medication use did not significantly impact feelings of loneliness. Conclusions: The findings highlight a potential association between adverse mental health outcomes among older adults during the initial phase of the pandemic. Future research, employing longitudinal research designs, is warranted to explore these relationships more rigorously, in a post-pandemic context, and to inform effective intervention development and strategies to prevent mental health problems within this vulnerable population. Full article

Background/Objectives: Unwanted loneliness is the gap between the social relations a person has and those they want. The main objective of this research is to assess the impact of a multidimensional community-based intervention on the feeling of unwanted loneliness in the population over the age of 65 years old who live alone, are under social risk, or are socially isolated living on La Palma island. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was designed with pre- and post-intervention (at three months) measurements, with no control group or randomization. A sample comprising 90 subjects was estimated for a small–moderate (0.3) or large (0.8) effect size, with a significance level (α) of 0.05 and a power (1 − β) of 0.8. Results: The intervention was initiated with 90 participants in 8 of the 9 Basic Health Districts from the La Palma Health Area. A moderate effect size (d = −0.77; 95%CI [−1.02, −0.52]) was evidenced in self-perceived loneliness. Three months after the proposed community-based intervention, significant differences were evidenced in adequate eating habits, physical activity, support network, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. Conclusions: Compartiendo Salud (Sharing Health) presents promising results, as it exerts positive effects on health management among older adults that live alone. The results of this intervention could serve as a model to design replicable strategies in other communities, improving the quality of life and levels of perceived social support in older adults. Full article

Background/Objectives: Concussions, their physical presentation, and patients’ recovery have been researched and documented numerous times, but the experiences of surviving and recovering from a concussion need to be explored further. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of NCAA Division I, II, and III student athletes who had suffered from one or more concussions. Methods: The consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology was employed, guiding the formation of the interview questions and the analysis of the responses. The participants completed a free-response questionnaire as well as a semi-structured virtual interview that utilized a blend of idiographic, inductive, hermeneutic, and interpretive phenomenological approaches. Through their questionnaire and interview responses, they discussed their experience being concussed at a collegiate level. Results: Ten NCAA student athletes described their various physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms due to receiving their concussion(s). Many of these student athletes reported feelings of loneliness, being misunderstood, or even not feeling “normal or at baseline” during and after their concussion recovery. One primary finding was the key role the athletic trainers played in the student athletes’ recovery process from initially receiving the concussion to their return to play. Conclusions: These findings will help contribute to the knowledge of what it is like to experience one or multiple concussions, the recovery process, and how that process can be improved. Full article

Background and Objectives: This study explores gender variations in the associations between lifestyle choices, mental health, and social behaviors among adolescents in the Transylvania region of Romania. The analysis is based on data obtained through the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Materials and Methods: Data on 900 Romanian adolescents aged 11–18 years were obtained via the GSHS. This study evaluated nutritional statuses through BMI Z-scores, employing World Health Organization (WHO) cut-offs applied to self-reported height and weight; furthermore, it assessed well-being and perceived health; worries and sleep anxiety; social connections through having friends, loneliness, peer support, and emotional support; parental bonding relations; experiences of being bullied; safety and protection factors, including distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and testing or vaccinations for COVID-19; and social behaviors, including the use of social networks. A multiple logistic regression was used to predict sleep disturbance anxiety, depending on sex, bullying, cyberbullying, loneliness, social network use, and peer support. Results: Results showed that the majority of the adolescents reported having one or more friends (96.8%), with no significant difference between girls and boys (p = 0.071). There were no statistically significant differences in bullying and cyberbullying experiences between sexes (p = 0.063). Notably, gender disparities exist in both health perceptions and risk behaviors, with girls experiencing higher rates of negative health perceptions, sleep anxiety (p < 0.001), and loneliness (p = 0.011) and boys exhibiting more overweight/obesity (p < 0.001) and school truancy (p = 0.027). According to the results, loneliness is significantly associated with a higher likelihood of sleep-disturbing anxiety (p < 0.001). Students who have experienced cyberbullying are more likely to also experience traditional bullying. Students who feel lonely are more likely to be victims of bullying. Conclusions: This study reveals significant gender disparities in adolescent health, particularly in mental health, risk behaviors, and social support. It highlights the need for gender-specific interventions to address these challenges and promote healthy development. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of social connections, family support, and parental involvement in adolescent well-being. Addressing bullying, promoting mental health awareness, and providing accessible support services are crucial for improving adolescent health in Romania. Full article

Background/Objectives: Patients with rheumatic diseases often experience pain-related depressive symptoms, potentially exacerbated by feelings of loneliness and social isolation. This study explores the role of mentalizing, i.e., the understanding of inner mental states in oneself and others, as a protective factor in this context. Methods: In this secondary analysis, n = 76 patients completed the FESV depression scale, MZQ UCLA loneliness scale and pain severity items from the German Pain Questionnaire. Structural equation models and mediation analyses were employed to test different theoretical models. Results: The best model fit was found for Model 3, which described the association of loneliness with pain severity (β = 0.34, p = 0.004). The association was fully mediated by a sequential mediation of mentalizing and pain-related depression. Adding the mediators increased the overall explained variance of pain severity from 12% to 41% with an excellent model fit (CFI > 0.99; TLI > 0.99; RMSEA = 0.001). Conclusions: The study suggests that patients’ pain severity may be influenced by the interaction between loneliness, depressive symptoms and mentalizing abilities. The negative impact of pain-related depressive symptoms and loneliness on pain severity underscores the need for their targeted management in routine care for chronic pain patients. Improvement of mentalizing may be a resilience factor for these patients. Full article

This article defines estranged sorrow as a category of trauma that cannot be grieved because it was never consciously experienced. As a domain of grief prevented from moving into conscious awareness, estranged sorrow becomes an underlying, chronic source of unspeakable sorrow that diminishes the ability to experience the full range of psychic reality or potentiality. Estranged sorrow encompasses not having developmental psychological needs met, the absence of community, the presence of structural injustice, and the dwindling access to the numinous. Accounting for estranged sorrow beneath a variety of pathologized symptoms shows how the absence of soul and imagination accounts for an addiction to numbing as well as the epidemic of loneliness through a loss of self and social modes of awareness—and thus relationality. I then look to the importance of imaginal revisioning, part of the methodology of archetypal psychology, to better understand and begin working through trauma unearthed by exploring estranged sorrow. The process of revisioning involves the soul-work of personifying the world, seeing through the literal ideas that limit our access to psychic reality, enduring the feelings that something is wrong, and returning to an expanded psychic reality. This article concludes by reflecting on this process in the light of myth. Full article

The accelerated advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has positioned it as a novel colleague. However, as employees collaborate with AI colleagues in daily work, their communication and interaction with human colleagues may decrease. This may result in feelings of loneliness and a potential reduction in emotional resources, potentially leading to counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Drawing from the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we hypothesize that employee–AI collaboration may amplify employees’ CWB due to loneliness and emotional fatigue. The potential mitigating effects of leader emotional support on these outcomes are also considered. To test these hypotheses, a 2 × 2 vignette experiment (N = 167) was conducted. The results demonstrate that employee–AI collaboration exerts a substantial positive influence on loneliness. Loneliness further increases employees’ emotional fatigue, which in turn increases CWB. Leader emotional support—the care and motivation demonstrated by leaders has been identified as a key factor in reducing loneliness. This research contributes to the extant literature on employee–AI collaboration and CWB, and expands the application scope of COR. Practical implications arise for managers, who are encouraged to consider the impact of employee–AI collaboration on interpersonal interaction and to address employees’ emotional needs in a timely manner. Full article

The institutionalisation of older adults is often associated with negative perceptions from the past, influenced by asylums and hospices that were seen as marginalising older people. These views have contributed to a dominant social representation of residential care as undesirable, being associated with the ideas of social death, isolation and confinement. However, changes in family structures and longer life expectancies have increased the need for residential care. It is thus essential to rethink these institutions as integral parts of the community rather than isolating and marginalising them. Bridging the generation gap and integrating care institutions can help to combat negative perceptions, such as ageism, and promote a more inclusive view of elderly care. One way of involving older adults and recognising their rights and contributions is through community initiatives such as choirs. Community choirs can enhance social cohesion and music learning, offering older adults personal fulfilment, community involvement and resilience. These initiatives underscore respect for autonomy and emphasise their continuing value to society. This study explores the potential impact of community music on relieving feelings of loneliness among older adults in formal care settings. The project engaged 216 participants in singing classes held twice a week over six months. Utilising ethnographic observations and collective interviews with the participants, institutional staff, and family members, in this paper, the changes in participants’ self-perception of loneliness and perspectives from family members and staff are analysed. The findings indicate positive effects on the participants, especially in the psychological, educational and social dimensions, including increased autonomy, active participation, learning and social integration. The project engendered trust, empathy, mutual support and a sense of belonging and community, suggesting that community music contributes to mitigating loneliness and enhancing overall well-being. Full article

Background/Objectives: The aim of our study was to examine the influence of family structure and the number of siblings on psychological problems and illness-related emotions in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the relationship between emotional coping in children and parents. Methods: CEDNA is a nationwide German online and paper-based questionnaire administered between October 2021 and April 2022. Adolescents with IBD, aged 12 to 17 years, and parents of children aged 0 to 17 years with diagnosed IBD, were included. SAS was used for descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis was performed using R Studio (PBC; 2023.06.0 + 421). Results: 1158 participants (450 adolescents and 708 parents) were included in the study. A two-parent household could not be associated with mental illness as a comorbidity in pediatric IBD patients (p = 0.06) but was shown to decrease the risk of sadness (p < 0.001), helplessness (p < 0.01), feeling left alone and lonely (p < 0.05). A single-parent household increased the risk of sadness (p = 0.001), helplessness (p = 0.002), and loneliness (p = 0.006). Having one to two siblings was associated with a lower risk of mental health problems (p = 0.03) and reduced anxiety (p = 0.005). An association was also found between parents and children’s emotional coping skills. Conclusions: Further research on family structure and siblings in pediatric IBD is needed, given the potential impact on children’s psychological well-being. Full article

Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify the main factors that influence the quality of life of caregivers in the context of home care for the elderly. Methodology: This is a mixed-methods study with a qualitative–quantitative approach, conducted with 138 home caregivers from the city of Itatiba, São Paulo, Brazil. Individual interviews were conducted, and the qualitative data were analyzed using the Collective Subject Discourse technique. Simultaneously, the quantitative approach involved the application of the EQ-5D questionnaire to assess health-related quality of life, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and significance tests. Results: The majority of caregivers were female, accounting for 92.03% of the total, with the predominant age group being over 50 years old (49.28%). The interviews highlighted the regularity of home visits by healthcare professionals, emphasizing the importance of these visits for the continuity of treatment at home. However, some caregivers expressed feelings of loneliness due to social isolation and emotional burden, reporting difficulties in resting at night and experiencing pain. In the quality of life assessment, statistically significant differences were identified in various dimensions of the EQ-5D. Women showed a higher proportion of extreme problems in usual activities (p < 0.001) and pain/discomfort (p = 0.02), while men reported more moderate problems with anxiety/depression (p = 0.03). Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of personalized and accessible care for patients. It underscores the need for emotional support and educational resources for caregivers to mitigate the negative impacts of prolonged caregiving on their physical and emotional health. Full article

Loneliness has a direct impact on mental and physical health. This is especially relevant to older adults. In prior studies, socially isolated older adults wanted technology that would help them feel more physically present even across distances, such as telepresence robots. However, how useful this technology can be directly depends on whether people accept it over the long term. In this paper, we describe a case study in which we introduced telepresence robots into homes of older adults for seven months. We investigate how older adults’ progression through acceptance phases ebbed and flowed. We describe primary factors that affected speed of progression through acceptance phases: solving problems with technology, life situations (business vs. routines), and personality. We introduce example personas based on this case study. We also propose changes to the longitudinal technology-acceptance framework to take this more nuanced view into account. These outcomes will help future researchers and practitioners to better understand and influence longitudinal technology acceptance. Full article