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Quality not quantity: loneliness subtypes, psychological trauma, and mental health in the US adult population

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Abstract

Purpose

Loneliness is a recognised public-health concern that is traditionally regarded as a unidimensional construct. Theories of loneliness predict the existence of subtypes of loneliness. In this study, latent class analysis (LCA) was used to test for the presence of loneliness subtypes and to examine their association with multiple mental health variables.

Methods

A nationally representative sample of US adults (N = 1839) completed the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, along with self-report measures of childhood and adulthood trauma, psychological wellbeing, major depression, and generalized anxiety.

Results

When treated as a unidimensional construct, 17.1% of US adults aged 18–70 were classified as lonely. However, the LCA results identified four loneliness classes which varied quantitatively and qualitatively: ‘low’ (52.8%), ‘social’ (8.2%), ‘emotional’ (26.6%), and ‘social and emotional’ (12.4%) loneliness. The ‘social and emotional’ class were characterised by the highest levels of psychological distress, followed by the ‘emotional’ class. The ‘social’ loneliness class had similar mental health scores as the ‘low’ loneliness class. Childhood and adulthood trauma were independently related to the most distressed loneliness classes.

Conclusions

Current findings provide support for the presence of subtypes of loneliness and show that they have unique associations with mental health status. Recognition of these subtypes of loneliness revealed that the number of US adults aged 18–70 experiencing loneliness was twice as high as what was estimated when loneliness was conceptualized as a unidimensional construct. The perceived quality, not the quantity, of interpersonal connections was associated with poor mental health.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (Grant number R01 MH08661).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, National College of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

    Gráinne McGinty & Joanna McHugh Power

  2. Centre for Global Health, School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Philip Hyland & Frédérique Vallières

  3. School of Psychology, Ulster University, Derry, Northern Ireland, UK

    Mark Shevlin

  4. National Center for PTSD, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Marylene Cloitre

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Marylene Cloitre

  6. School of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

    Thanos Karatzias

  7. Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK

    Thanos Karatzias

  8. School of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland

    Philip Hyland & Robert Fox

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  1. Philip Hyland
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Contributions

PH, MS, MC, and JMP developed the study concept. PH, MS, GM, and RF conducted the statistical analyses. JMP wrote the introduction. TK, FV, and MC contributed to the writing of the discussion. All authors reviewed, revised, and contributed to the writing of the final version of the manuscript. All authors have approved the final version of the paper for submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip Hyland.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Hyland, P., Shevlin, M., Cloitre, M. et al. Quality not quantity: loneliness subtypes, psychological trauma, and mental health in the US adult population. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 54, 1089–1099 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1597-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1597-8

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