Loneliness and Mental Health: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Social Support

Elody Hutten, Ellen M. M. Jongen, Anique E. C. C. Vos, Anja J. H. C. van den Hout and Jacques J. D. M. van Lankveld
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Elody Hutten: Department of Clinical Psychology, Open Universiteit, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
Ellen M. M. Jongen: Department of Clinical Psychology, Open Universiteit, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
Anique E. C. C. Vos: Department of Clinical and Medical Psychology, Zuyderland Medical Center, 6419 PC Heerlen, The Netherlands
Anja J. H. C. van den Hout: Department of Clinical and Medical Psychology, Zuyderland Medical Center, 6419 PC Heerlen, The Netherlands
Jacques J. D. M. van Lankveld: Department of Clinical Psychology, Open Universiteit, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Social connectedness is a fundamental human need. The Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL) predicts that a lack of social connectedness has long-term mental and physical health consequences. Social support is a potential mechanism through which loneliness influences health. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship between loneliness and mental health, and the mediating effects of social support in a Dutch adult sample (N = 187, age 20 to 70). The health variables included in the study are anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms as measured by the SCL-90, and the DSM-5 diagnosis somatic symptom disorder. The results indicated that social support partially mediated the relationship between loneliness and anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms. These results indicate that social support partially explains the relationship between loneliness and physical and mental health issues. The relationship between loneliness and being diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder was not mediated by social support. This suggests that the mechanisms through which loneliness relates to either somatic symptoms or somatic symptom disorder are different.

Keywords: loneliness; social support; anxiety; depression; somatic symptoms; somatic symptom disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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