The Experience of Loneliness: A Tri-Level Model

Based on the content analysis of verbatim reports of loneliness accounts provided by 526 subjects, I developed a three-level model of the experience of loneliness. Ten factors are subsumed under four major elements and are differentiated into 23 components. In addition to demonstrating the complexity of loneliness, the present study also highlights the sources of the subjective experience and the varied accounts reported by so many writers. This model may be useful in designing therapeutic intervention procedures according to individual needs of the lonely and in examining the various conditions that give rise to the different experiences of loneliness that people report.     

Effect of Depressive Symptoms and Sex on the Relationship Between Loneliness and Cigarette Dependence: A Moderated Mediation

Loneliness is a subjective and emotionally unpleasant experience of perceiving insufficient social relationships. Previous research has revealed that loneliness constitutes a psychosocial risk factor for depression, and is also related to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking. This study aims to examine the relation between loneliness, depression, and cigarette dependence, and to explore the role of sex in this relationship. A total sample of 275 adult treatment-seeking daily smokers (Mage = 45.3; 61.5% females) was used. Our results showed a significant correlation between higher scores of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and cigarette dependence. In addition, mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of loneliness on cigarette dependence, via depressive symptoms. Regarding the effect of sex, we found that this variable significantly moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette dependence. Results of this study extend previous literature by showing that, in treatment seeking smokers, loneliness is a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, and through this relation, it predicts cigarette dependence. Additionally, sex was a significant moderator of this relation. These findings have several clinical implications, and also contribute to the understanding of cigarette dependence, which is a well-known barrier for smoking cessation.     

How does culture influence the degree of romantic loneliness and closeness?

A culture promoting a strong desire for romantic relationships can greatly influence feelings of romantic loneliness and of closeness. In this study, the authors hypothesized that when not in a romantic relationship, U.S. young adults experience greater degrees of romantic loneliness because of a high desire for romantic relationships, compared with Korean young adults. The authors also predicted that when in a romantic relationship, U.S. young adults experience greater closeness to their romantic partner than do Korean young adults. Results revealed that in a sample of 227 U.S. and Korean students, U.S. students reported significantly higher levels of romantic loneliness than did Koreans when not in a romantic relationship and significantly lower levels of romantic loneliness when in a stable romantic relationship. U.S. students also reported a greater degree of closeness in romantic relationships than did Korean students. The results suggest that Western cultures' strong emphasis on the importance of romantic relationships may unduly amplify individuals' levels of loneliness.     

高处不胜寒? 领导工作场所孤独感的多层次双刃剑效应

在组织中,由于存在权力和地位差异等因素,领导者往往难以获得充分的人际关系满足,孤独成为领导者这一群体的普遍体验。事实上,领导者的工作场所孤独感不仅会对领导者自身产生一系列影响,且还具有独特的社会功能,会给团队及其追随者带来后续影响。然而,目前组织管理领域有关孤独感的文献主要集中于探讨员工的工作场所孤独感,罕有研究考察领导工作场所孤独感究竟会造成何种影响。并且,现有研究普遍只关注孤独感的消极效应,缺乏对其潜在积极效应的挖掘。因此,本文将通过3个子研究,结合多层次、多理论、多研究方法的全景研究范式,全面考察领导工作场所孤独感的双刃剑效应及其机制。本研究不仅可以丰富和拓展工作场所孤独感的理论体系,也能为企业发挥领导工作场所孤独感的积极作用与抑制其负面效应提供管理启示。     

社会支持与成年早期孤独感：有调节的中介模型

为探讨社会支持与成年早期孤独的关系,调查了556名大学生,运用SEM法、Bootstrap法、多组分析法考察社交自我效能与负性情绪在其中的影响机制及留守经历的调节。结果表明：社交自我效能、负性情绪在社会支持和孤独感之间的中介效应显著;社交自我效能和负性情绪在社会支持对孤独感的影响中起链式中介作用;留守经历对社会支持和孤独感关系存在调节作用。研究结果证实了社会支持影响孤独感及社交自我效能和负性情绪在其中的内在机制。     

流动儿童歧视知觉与心理健康水平的关系及其心理机制

为了探讨流动儿童所感受到的歧视对他们心理健康水平的影响, 以及应对方式和自尊在其中所起的作用, 从北京市公立学校和打工子弟学校选取1164名流动儿童、从公立学校选取525名北京儿童、从流动儿童主要来源地的农村选取568名农村儿童作为被试, 采用问卷调查的形式, 测查了流动儿童感受到的歧视、他们的心理健康水平(社交焦虑、孤独感、抑郁)、应对方式和自尊。研究发现: (1) 流动儿童所感受到的社会歧视在学校类型、流动性上存在显著的差异, 打工子弟学校的流动儿童得分显著高于公立学校的, 流动性高的儿童得分显著高于流动性低的, 但在性别上不存在显著差异, 也不存在学校类型与性别和流动性的交互作用; (2) 流动儿童的心理健康水平在性别、学校类型和流动性上存在显著的差异, 女孩、来自公立学校的流动儿童、流动性高的儿童的心理健康水平显著差于与之相对应的被试, 除在社交焦虑和抑郁上存在学校类型和性别的交互作用外, 在孤独感上不存在学校类型和流动性的交互作用; (3) 不同类别儿童在心理健康水平上存在显著差异, 流动儿童在社交焦虑、孤独感上最差; (4) 除消极应对与自尊、积极应对与抑郁相关不显著外, 歧视、心理健康水平、应对方式、自尊两两之间都相关非常显著; (5) 歧视知觉对心理健康水平有显著的直接影响, 也通过应对方式和自尊对心理健康水平产生显著的影响。自尊不仅在歧视知觉与心理健康水平之间起到显著的部分中介作用, 在应对方式和心理健康水平之间也起到了显著的部分中介作用。     

Thinking too much: How young people experience rumination in the context of loneliness

The recent rise in the prevalence of loneliness, particularly among young adults, coupled with its deleterious effects on wellbeing, makes understanding the issue of pressing concern. As most research on loneliness has focused on older adults, this study explored how 48 young adults aged 18–24 subjectively experienced loneliness through free association-based interviews. Participants were sampled from the four most deprived boroughs in London, as area deprivation has been associated with a higher prevalence of loneliness. This facilitates understanding of contributors and consequences of loneliness within this demographic group. In particular, the focus is on rumination arising from loneliness; while the link between the two is well-established quantitively, research into rumination and the context of ruminative thoughts in the context of loneliness remains sparse. Thus, this study aimed to understand the subjective experience of rumination in young adults whilst they experienced loneliness. Thematic analysis of interviews using ATLAS.ti 9 revealed five themes capturing these experiences: ‘temporal experience of rumination’, ‘ruminating life and death’, ‘rumination related to others’, ‘outcomes of rumination’ and ‘coping with loneliness-related rumination’. Based upon knowledge of the nature and content of rumination, further research could devise models of rumination and interventions targeted at rumination such as mindfulness meditation, journaling and engaging in prosocial behaviour, to mitigate the adverse effects loneliness can have on wellbeing.     

Loneliness is associated with a greater self-reference effect in episodic memory when compared against a close friend

Loneliness describes a negative experience associated with perceived social disconnection. Despite the clear links between loneliness and mental and physical health, relatively little is known about how loneliness affects cognition. In this study, we tested the effect of loneliness on cognitive distance between the self and others, using a task in which participants completed a surprise memory task for adjectives implicitly encoded in relation to the self, a close friend or a celebrity. We assessed item memory sensitivity, metacognitive sensitivity, metacognitive efficiency and source memory for positive and negative words. In addition, participants reported their trait loneliness and depression. Results revealed an overall self-referential advantage compared with both friend and celebrity encoded items. Likewise, a friend-referential advantage was identified compared to celebrity-encoded items. Individuals who experienced more loneliness showed a greater self-referential bias in comparison to words encoded in relation to a close friend, and a smaller friend-referential bias in comparison to words encoded in relation to celebrity. These findings suggest that loneliness is reflected in a greater cognitive distance between the self and close friends in relation to memory biases. The results have important implications for understanding the social contextual effects on memory and the cognitive ramifications of loneliness.     

Loneliness: A Review of Current Literature,With Implications for Counseling and Research

This article is a review of the current literature on loneliness. The relationship of loneliness to other variables, the major characteristics of the experience of loneliness, and a definition of loneliness for counseling are described. The unidimensional and multidimensional perspectives of the loneliness experience are illustrated, with special focus on how they relate to loneliness measurement. The incidence of loneliness among various populations is also discussed. Finally, treatment strategies for loneliness, which highlight cognitivebehavioral therapy, social skills training, and social support are provided, followed by suggestions and implications for counseling practice and research.     

Internalised HIV-stigma,loneliness, depressive symptoms and sleep quality in people living with HIV

Objective: People living with HIV (PLWH) commonly report sleep disturbances which are associated with long-term health consequences, including disease progression. PLWH also experience internalised stigma as a result of their HIV status, which can be associated with increased loneliness and depression. Little attention focuses on the impact of these factors on sleep. Therefore, we examined whether internalised HIV-stigma was indirectly related to poorer sleep quality through higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms.

Design: 181 PLWH from across the United States completed an online survey.

Main Study Measures: Internalised HIV-stigma was assessed using the HIV-Stigma Scale, loneliness was assessed using the UCLA-Loneliness Scale-Short Form, depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Index, and Sleep Quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Results: Internalised HIV-stigma was indirectly associated with poorer global sleep quality and daytime sleep dysfunction through both loneliness and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: PLWH who experience HIV-related stigma may experience greater feelings of loneliness, which are related to increased depressive symptoms and poorer sleep quality. Interventions focused on improving sleep in PLWH should focus on multiple factors that influence sleep, including psychosocial factors such as stigma, social isolation and depressive symptoms.     

Loneliness in everyday life: cardiovascular activity,psychosocial context,and health behaviors

Prior lab research revealed higher basal total peripheral resistance (TPR) and lower cardiac output (CO) in lonely than in nonlonely young adults. In this study, experience sampling was used to obtain ambulatory blood pressure; impedance cardiography: and reports of activities, appraisals, interactions, and health behaviors. Results confirmed that loneliness predicted higher TPR and lower CO during a normal day. Loneliness did not predict differences in time spent alone, daily activities, or health behaviors but did predict higher stress appraisals and poorer social interactions. Independent of loneliness, interaction quality contributed to TPR. Loneliness differences were not mediated by depressed affect or neuroticism. Social support mediated loneliness differences in stress and threat. Concomitants of loneliness were comparable for men and women.     

Efficacy of a Photovoice‐based video as an online mental illness anti‐stigma intervention and the role of empathy in audience response: A randomized controlled trial

This study examined the efficacy of a Photovoice‐based video as a novel online anti‐stigma video in reducing mental illness stigma, as well as the role of empathic concern in stigma reduction. Photovoice is a grassroots process by which members of a marginalized group, such as people with a mental illness, document and convey their experience; in this study’s context, the experience of living with a mental illness and the stigma associated with this experience. Canadian undergraduate university students (n = 303; average age = 21) were randomly assigned to view either a Photovoice‐based anti‐stigma intervention video (n = 156) or a control video (n = 147). Compared to the control condition, the Photovoice‐based video was efficacious in reducing mental illness stigma, including reduced fear and anger toward people with a mental illness, decreased perceptions of dangerousness, and decreased desired social distance. In addition, the intervention was efficacious in maintaining reduced desired social distance relative to the control at 1‐month post‐intervention. Finally, empathic concern was found to mediate the relationship between the Photovoice‐based video and reduced mental illness stigma, suggesting that one way the intervention reduced mental illness stigma was by eliciting empathy in the viewer.     

Loneliness and the life cycle

Loneliness is a prevailing experience which every person has experienced. This subjective experience is influenced by one's personality and situational variables. In the present study, the influence of age and sex on the experience of loneliness were examined. 711 participants volunteered to answer an 82-item yes/no questionnaire on their loneliness experience and its meaning. Four age groups were compared: 106 youths (13-18 years old), 255 young adults (19-30 years old), 314 adults (31-58 years old), and 36 seniors (60-80 years old). Within and between sex comparisons indicated that loneliness is indeed affected by one's age and sex.     

孤独感对青少年问题性移动社交网络使用的影响：人际困扰和积极自我呈现的作用

摘 要：为探讨孤独感与青少年问题性移动社交网络使用的关系,以及人际困扰和积极自我呈现在孤独感与问题性移动社交网络使用行为间的作用机制。采用孤独感量表、人际关系综合诊断量表、社交网站自我呈现量表和青少年问题性移动社交网络使用行为评估问卷,按照年级整群分层取样方式选取2872名青少年为研究对象,采用SPSS18.0、Amos以及偏差校对非参数百分位Bootstrap置信区间法进行统计分析。结果发现,孤独感、人际困扰、积极自我呈现和问题性移动社交网络使用两两间均存在显著正向相关,孤独感、人际困扰和积极自我呈现对问题性移动社交网络使用行为均具有显著正向预测作用,人际困扰和积极自我呈现在孤独感与问题性移动社交网络使用关系间分别起中介作用,同时孤独感对问题性移动社交网络使用的影响通过人际困扰→积极自我呈现的链式关系发生作用。     

Dynamics and moderating factors of esport participation and loneliness: A daily diary study

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between esport participation and loneliness, as well as its moderating factors. Chinese college students (N = 216) self-reported their esport playing time and degree of loneliness each day immediately before bedtime for four consecutive weeks. The findings revealed that as playing time increased, students did not experience reduced sense of loneliness during playing esport, but they experienced a temporary and intensified feeling of loneliness the same day following gameplay. Students with higher general loneliness tended to feel more after-game loneliness associated with increased esport participation. Students with higher obsessive passion about esport tended to experience more loneliness (both in-game and after-game) associated with increased esport participation. Students with greater coping motivation about esport tended to experience more in-game loneliness associated with previous increased esport participation. Students who played esport less often with friends in person, or with more escape motivation toward esport, tended to increase esport participation time more following previous increased after-game loneliness. The findings suggested that college students should avoid utilizing esport to achieve a sense of belonging and should be cautious of the loneliness-inducing effect after gameplay. A healthy level of loneliness can be maintained by playing esport more with friends in person, learning strategies to avoid obsessive passion, coping motivation, and escape motivation towards esport.     

Determinants of loneliness of young adult drug users

Loneliness is a subjective experience that is influenced by such variables as personality, life experiences, and situation. In the present study, the author examined the connection between the use of ecstasy (MDMA) and the antecedents of loneliness. MDMA users were compared with non-MDMA drug users and with a group of young adults in the general population who did not use drugs. A total of 818 participants from all 3 groups volunteered to answer a 30-item yes-no questionnaire reflecting on their experiences of loneliness and what caused them. Results showed that the predominant causes of loneliness were personal inadequacies, developmental deficits, unfulfilling intimate relationships, relocation or significant separations, and social marginality. There were significant differences between the scores of the MDMA users and scores of the other groups. Gender differences between and within groups were also examined.     

Loneliness and stable friendship in rejected and nonrejected preschoolers

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of stable mutual friendship to self-reports of loneliness in preschoolers who had been nominated as rejected or nonrejected by their peers. Ninety-four 4- and 5-year-olds were classified into five peer status groups: controversial, neglected, average, popular, and rejected. In addition, the children were classified as having a stable mutual friendship, an unstable mutual friendship, or without mutual friends. Children in the rejected group rated themselves as lonelier than their neglected, popular, and average peers. However, rejected children who had a stable mutual friendship reported levels of loneliness that were similar to those of their nonrejected peers and less loneliness than those rejected children who lacked stable friendship. Loneliness in preschoolers is discussed in terms of the quality of their friendships and peer experience as well as their desire to be sociable.     

Intimate and Relational Loneliness in Adolescence

Research on peer-related loneliness in adolescence has paid insufficient attention to the distinction between intimate loneliness (i.e., in a dyadic relationship with a friend) and relational loneliness (i.e., in the broader peer group). This study examined the correlations among a broad set of loneliness scales. A sample of adolescents from Belgium (n?=?282; 60% female) completed 8 subscales of 6 established loneliness measures. Results revealed high correlations among these measures. At the same time, confirmatory factor analysis revealed the two expected factors, reflecting intimate and relational loneliness. Furthermore, it was found that boys experienced on average more intimate loneliness than girls, and girls experienced on average more relational loneliness than boys. As different types of loneliness are related to problems in different domains, and adolescents may experience one type of loneliness but not the other, it is essential to know which loneliness measure taps into which type of loneliness. The present study not only provides evidence for the distinction between intimate and relational loneliness, but also shows which type is covered by which of six commonly used loneliness measures. Based on these findings, researchers can now make a more deliberate selection of scales for future research, and can better interpret and integrate findings from previous studies that used different loneliness measures.     

受艾滋病影响儿童的歧视知觉在歧视经历和心理健康之间的作用分析

本研究旨在考察中国农村地区受艾滋病影响儿童(包括双孤儿童、单孤儿童和非孤儿童)在经历了父母感染艾滋病、父母因为艾滋病丧亡后的歧视经历和歧视知觉状况,及其对心理健康的影响.采用问卷调查了1221名被试,测查了他们的歧视经历、歧视知觉、心理健康(抑郁、孤独、自尊).经过数据分析发现:(1)歧视经历和歧视知觉存在显著的年龄段和儿童类别的差异,12岁及以下的儿童得分显著高于13岁及以上的,双孤儿童得分显著高于单孤儿童和非孤儿童;抑郁、孤独和自尊存在显著的儿童类别差异,双孤儿童、单孤儿童差于非孤儿童;且孤独和自尊还存在显著的年龄段差异,12岁以下的儿童差于13岁以上的;(2)不同歧视经历和歧视知觉的儿童在抑郁、孤独和自尊上存在显著差异,均是歧视经历、歧视知觉多的儿童抑郁和孤独严重、自尊低;(3)歧视经历对抑郁、孤独和自尊都有显著的预测作用,歧视知觉在其中起到了部分中介作用.     

HIV-related stigma in African and Afro-Caribbean communities in the Netherlands: manifestations, consequences and coping

HIV-related stigma in African and Afro-Caribbean diaspora communities in the Netherlands was investigated. Interviews with HIV-positive and HIV-negative community members demonstrated that HIV-related stigma manifests as social distance, physical distance, words and silence. The psychological consequences of HIV-related stigma among those diagnosed with HIV reported were emotional pain, sadness, loneliness, anger, frustration and internalised stigma. The social consequences included decreased social network size, limited social support and social isolation, and resulted from not only enacted stigma but also self-imposed social withdrawal. Also, poor treatment adherence was a health-related consequence. People living with HIV employed both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of stigma. Problem-focused coping strategies included selective disclosure, disengagement, affiliating with similar others, seeking social support and, to a lesser extent, activism. Emotion-focused strategies included distraction, positive reappraisal, religious coping, external attributions, disidentification and acceptance. HIV-related stigma clearly permeates African and Afro-Caribbean communities in the Netherlands, and should be targeted for intervention.