Emotional and social loneliness and their unique links with social isolation, depression and anxiety

Nine E Wolters; Lynn Mobach; Viviana M Wuthrich; Peter Vonk; Claudia M Van der Heijde; Reinout W Wiers; Ronald M Rapee; Anke M Klein

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.096

Emotional and social loneliness and their unique links with social isolation, depression and anxiety

J Affect Disord. 2023 May 15:329:207-217. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.096. Epub 2023 Feb 24.

Authors

Nine E Wolters¹, Lynn Mobach², Viviana M Wuthrich³, Peter Vonk⁴, Claudia M Van der Heijde⁴, Reinout W Wiers², Ronald M Rapee³, Anke M Klein⁵

Affiliations

¹ University of Amsterdam, Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Student Health Service, UvA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
² University of Amsterdam, Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
³ Macquarie University, Centre for Emotional Health, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ University of Amsterdam, Student Health Service, UvA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁵ University of Amsterdam, Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands. Electronic address: a.m.klein@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.

PMID: 36842647
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.096

Abstract

Background: Loneliness and social isolation are known to be associated with depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety. However, knowledge on the overlapping and unique features of these relationships, while differentiating between social loneliness (perceived absence of an acceptable social network) and emotional loneliness (perceived absence of close connections), is lacking.

Methods: We constructed a network analysis to examine the relationships between self-reported social loneliness, emotional loneliness, social isolation, depression, general anxiety and social anxiety in a large sample of university students (N = 7314, 67.4 % female, range 16.3-75.8 years, M_age = 23.9, SD_age = 5.7). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine whether depression, general anxiety and social anxiety moderated the relationship between social isolation and loneliness types. As comorbidity between anxiety and depression is high, the role of anxiety as a moderator in the relationship between depression and loneliness types was also examined.

Results: The network analysis showed that social loneliness was most strongly explained by social isolation, whereas emotional loneliness was most strongly explained by social anxiety and depression. General anxiety was solely related to loneliness through depression. The regression analyses showed that general and social anxiety and depression did not moderate the relationship between social isolation and loneliness types.

Limitations: Differences found between loneliness types may be influenced by a methodological artifact of the DJGLS.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of social anxiety over general anxiety in relation to loneliness. Also, it showed unique relationships for social- and emotional loneliness with psycho-social variables, which has important implications for research- and clinical settings.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Emerging adulthood; Emotional loneliness; Social isolation; Social loneliness.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Anxiety / epidemiology
Child, Preschool
Depression* / epidemiology
Depression* / psychology
Emotions
Female
Humans
Loneliness* / psychology
Male
Social Isolation / psychology
Young Adult