Relationship between loneliness and mental health in students
| Published date | 19 June 2017 |
| Date | 19 June 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-03-2016-0013 |
| Pages | 48-54 |
| Author | Thomas Richardson,Peter Elliott,Ron Roberts |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Relationship between loneliness and
mental health in students
Thomas Richardson, Peter Elliott and Ron Roberts
Abstract
Purpose –Previous cross-sectional research has examined the effect of loneliness on mental health.
The purpose of this paper is to examine longitudinal relationships in students.
Design/methodology/approach –A total of 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of
loneliness and mental health at four time points.
Findings –After controlling for demographics and baseline mental health, greater loneliness predicted
greater anxiety, stress, depression and general mental health over time. There was no evidence that mental
health problems increased loneliness over time. There was no relationship with alcohol problems. Baseline
loneliness predicted greater eating disorder risk at follow-up and vice versa.
Research limitations/implications –This study is limited by a relatively small and heavily female sample.
Practical implications –Social and psychological interventions to reduce loneliness in university settings
may improve mental health.
Social implications –Universities should consider organising social activities to mitigate feelings of
loneliness in students.
Originality/value –This study adds to the literature as a longitudinal analysis showing that loneliness
exacerbates poor mental health over time. This also adds to the literature for students specifically, and
suggests a possible bi-directional relationship between eating disorders and loneliness for the first time.
Keywords Anxiety, Mental health, Eating disorders, Loneliness, Depression
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Loneliness can be defined as “an individual’s subjective perception of deficiencies in his or her
network of social relationships”(Russell et al., 1984, p. 1313). There is therefore a difference
between objective social isolation and the feeling of loneliness: it is possible to have limited social
contact but not feel lonely and to have regular social contact but feel lonely (Hawkley and Cacioppo,
2010). This relates to the cognitive discrepancy model of loneliness: in adolescents the difference
between desired social activity and actual social activity has been found to predict loneliness
(Russell et al., 2012). Studies have shown that levels of frequent loneliness vary between European
countries, in the UK such feelings are reported by 6.3 per cent of those under age 30, 5.5 per cent of
those age 30-59 and 7.4 per cent of those age 60 plus (Yang and Victor, 2011). Other findings have
shown highest rates of loneliness in young and older adults (Victor and Yang, 2012).
A small body of literature has examined how loneliness is related to mental health problems.
Victor and Yang (2012) found that depression was related to loneliness in all age groups.
Cacioppo et al. (2006) found a bi-directional relationship over time between loneliness and
depression in middle aged and older adults. One recent review suggested that there were links
with depression, stress and alcohol problems (Mushtaq et al., 2014). A cross-sectional survey
from the UK found that whilst loneliness was associated with a broad range of mental health
problems, there were particularly strong relationships with depression, phobias and obsessive
compulsive disorder (Meltzer et al., 2013).
Starting universitymay be a high risk time for mental health problems;studies in the USA estimate
that nearly half of students meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder (Blanco et al., 2008).
Received 24 March 2016
Revised 21 October 2016
Accepted 21 October 2016
The authors thank the universities
who helped with recruitment and
those who took part in the survey.
The authors also thank Harriet
Collie who helped perform a
literature search to help inform this
paper and Megan Jansen who
assisted in the write-up. This data
was collected as part of a
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology,
which is funded by the UK National
Health Service.
Thomas Richardson is a
Principal Clinical Psychologist
at the Mental Health Recovery
Team North, Solent NHS Trust,
Portsmouth, UK and School of
Psychology, University
of Southampton,
Southampton, UK.
Peter Elliott is based at the
School of Psychology,
University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK.
Ron Roberts is based at the
Department of Psychology,
Kingston University,
Kingston-Upon-Thames, UK.
PAG E 48
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
j
VOL. 16 NO. 2 2017, pp. 48-54, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 DOI 10.1108/JPMH-03-2016-0013
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