The clinical significance of loneliness: A literature review

Heinrich, Liesl Michelle; Gullone, Eleonora

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2006.04.002

Cited by 1,394 publications

(1,368 citation statements)

References 140 publications

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“…Thus, other vulnerability factors may play a role in the link between inflammation and depression. Given the important role that feelings of social disconnection (eg, loneliness) play in contributing to depression (Heinrich and Gullone, 2006), it is possible that the social consequences of inflammation may be a critical missing piece in understanding the link between inflammation and depression. Indeed, work has shown that increased feelings of social disconnection in response to an inflammatory challenge mediate the relationship between exposure to the inflammatory challenge and increases in depressed mood (Eisenberger et al, 2010b).…”

Section: Inflammation and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

Eisenberger

Moieni

Inagaki

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

278

206

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Although it has commonly been assumed that the immune system and the processes that govern social behavior are separate, non-communicating entities, research over the past several decades suggests otherwise. Considerable evidence now shows that inflammatory processes and social behavior are actually powerful regulators of one another. This review first summarizes evidence that inflammatory processes regulate social behavior, leading to characteristic changes that may help an individual navigate the social environment during times of sickness. Specifically, this review shows that inflammation: (1) increases threatrelated neural sensitivity to negative social experiences (eg, rejection, negative social feedback), presumably to enhance sensitivity to threats to well-being or safety in order to avoid them and (2) enhances reward-related neural sensitivity to positive social experiences (eg, viewing close others and receiving positive social feedback), presumably to increase approach-related motivation towards others who might provide support and care during sickness. Next, this review summarizes evidence showing that social behavior also regulates aspects of inflammatory activity, preparing the body for situations in which wounding and infection may be more likely (social isolation). Here, we review research showing: (1) that exposure to social stressors increases proinflammatory activity, (2) that individuals who are more socially isolated (ie, lonely) show increased proinflammatory activity, and (3) that individuals who are more socially isolated show increased proinflammatory activity in response to an inflammatory challenge or social stressor. The implications of the co-regulation of inflammation and social behavior are discussed.

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Section: Inflammation and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

Eisenberger

Moieni

Inagaki

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

278

206

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“…Lack of social support may result in loneliness (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006) and low selfesteem (Waters & Moore, 2002). In turn, lack of social support and low self-esteem engender negative emotions, cognitions, and behaviors (Cohen, Gottlieb, & Underwood, 2000;Sedikides & Gregg, 2003).…”

Section: H1: the Experience Of Unemployment (Relative To Employment) mentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality change following unemployment.

Boyce

Wood

Daly

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Psychology

176

121

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Unemployment has a strongly negative influence on well-being, but it is unclear whether it also alters basic personality traits. Whether personality changes arise through natural maturation processes or contextual/environmental factors is still a matter of debate. Unemployment, a relatively unexpected and commonly occurring life event, may shed light on the relevance of context for personality change. We examined, using a latent change model, the influence of unemployment on the five-factor model of personality in a sample of 6,769 German adults, who completed personality measures at 2 time points 4 years apart. All participants were employed at the first time point, and a subset became unemployed over the course of the study. By the second time point, participants had either remained in employment, been unemployed from 1 to 4 years, or had experienced some unemployment but become reemployed. Compared with those who had remained in employment, unemployed men and women experienced significant patterns of change in their mean levels of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, whereas reemployed individuals experienced limited change. The results indicate that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought. In addition, the results are consistent with the view that personality changes as a function of contextual and environmental factors.

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“…Loneliness is not linked to the number of friends that a person has (Young, 1982;Qualter & Munn, 2005). It is a prevalent problem in children, adolescents and adults (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008; Rotenberg & Hymel, 1999), and is acknowledged in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR: American Psychiatric Association, 2000) because it often causes significant distress and/or intensifies mental disorders or conditions (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006). It is argued that loneliness is a common emotion that serves to promote reconnection with others (Baumeister & Leary, 1995 (Jones & Carver, 1991;Jones, et al, 1981;Sloan & Solano, 1984); it is not the same as social anxiety (Jones, Rose, & Russell, 1990).…”

Section: Loneliness and Social Information Processing Biasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Hypervigilance for Social Threat of Lonely Children

Qualter¹,

Rotenberg

Barrett³

et al. 2012

J Abnorm Child Psychol

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This series of studies is the first to examine hypervigilance for social threat among lonely children and the first to establish this link using eye-tracking technology. Hypervigilance for social threat was operationalised as hostility to ambiguously motivated social exclusion in a variation of the hostile attribution paradigm (Study 1), scores on the Children's RejectionSensitivity Questionnaire (Study 2), and visual attention to socially threatening stimuli (Study 3). The participants were 185 children (11 years -7 months to 12 years -6 months), 248 children (9 years -4 months to 11 years -8 months) and 147 children (8 years -10 months to 12 years -10 months) in the three studies, respectively. Regression analyses showed that, with depressive symptoms covaried, there were quadratic relations between loneliness and these different measures of hypervigilance to social threat. As hypothesized, only children in the upper range of loneliness demonstrated elevated hostility to ambiguously motivated social exclusion, higher scores on the rejection sensitivity questionnaire, and disengagement difficulties when viewing socially threatening stimuli. We found that very lonely children are hypersensitive to social threat.Key words: Loneliness; Children; Hypervigilance; Social Threat; Rejection; Hypersensitivity, Rejection-sensitivity; Eye movement; Attentional bias.Running Head: LONELINESS AND HYPERVIGILANCE TO SOCIAL THREAT 4 Investigating Hypervigilance for Social Threat of Lonely ChildrenResearchers have examined the social information processing biases that serve to maintain loneliness. One such bias is conceptualized as the 'hypervigilance for social threat hypothesis' (HSTH), where it is argued that rejection sensitivity contributes to behavioral deficiencies (e.g., withdrawal) that undermine the opportunities to develop and maintain positive social relationships (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009). Several studies provide support for the HSTH in adults (Jones & Carver, 1991;Jones, Freemon & Goswick, 1981;Sloan & Solano, 1984), but there has been little work on this in children. Confirming the HSTH during childhood is important because it would indicate that this form of social information bias is evident during development and, therefore, a potential contributor to the persistence of loneliness from childhood through to adulthood, which itself predicts mental and physical health. Loneliness and social information processing biasesLoneliness is an unpleasant state that arises from a discrepancy between the interpersonal relationships people want to have, and those they perceive they currently have (Peplau & Perlman, 1982). Loneliness is not linked to the number of friends that a person has (Young, 1982;Qualter & Munn, 2005). It is a prevalent problem in children, adolescents and adults (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008; Rotenberg & Hymel, 1999), and is acknowledged in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR: American Psychiatric Association, 2000) because it often causes significant distress a...

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The clinical significance of loneliness: A literature review

Cited by 1,394 publications

References 140 publications

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

Personality change following unemployment.

Investigating Hypervigilance for Social Threat of Lonely Children

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