TY - JOUR T1 - Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. JF - Psychol Aging Y1 - 2006 A1 - John T. Cacioppo A1 - Mary Elizabeth Hughes A1 - Linda J. Waite A1 - Louise C Hawkley A1 - Ronald A. Thisted KW - Aged KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - depression KW - Female KW - Follow-Up Studies KW - Health Status KW - Hostility KW - Humans KW - Loneliness KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Risk Factors KW - Severity of Illness Index KW - Social Support KW - Stress, Psychological KW - Surveys and Questionnaires AB -

The extent to which loneliness is a unique risk factor for depressive symptoms was determined in 2 population-based studies of middle-aged to older adults, and the possible causal influences between loneliness and depressive symptoms were examined longitudinally in the 2nd study. In Study 1, a nationally representative sample of persons aged 54 and older completed a telephone interview as part of a study of health and aging. Higher levels of loneliness were associated with more depressive symptoms, net of the effects of age, gender, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, social support, and perceived stress. In Study 2, detailed measures of loneliness, social support, perceived stress, hostility, and demographic characteristics were collected over a 3-year period from a population-based sample of adults ages 50-67 years from Cook County, Illinois. Loneliness was again associated with more depressive symptoms, net of demographic covariates, marital status, social support, hostility, and perceived stress. Latent variable growth models revealed reciprocal influences over time between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. These data suggest that loneliness and depressive symptomatology can act in a synergistic effect to diminish well-being in middle-aged and older adults.

PB - 21 VL - 21 IS - 1 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16594799?dopt=Abstract U4 - Loneliness/Depression/Social Support/Stress ER -