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Loneliness and psychological distress
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Northridge 91330.
The Journal of Psychology
|May 1, 1991
Summary
Loneliness is significantly linked to depression and low self-esteem in college students. This study clarifies the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress, controlling for generalized distress.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Previous research indicates a strong link between loneliness and various psychological symptoms.
- High intercorrelations among psychopathology measures may artificially inflate these associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between loneliness and specific psychological symptoms in college students.
- To control for generalized distress when assessing these associations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90) for psychological symptoms.
- Employed the UCLA-R Loneliness Scale to measure loneliness.
- Applied partial correlations to isolate the relationship between loneliness and specific symptoms, controlling for generalized distress.
Main Results:
- Loneliness was significantly associated with interpersonal sensitivity, characterized by low self-esteem.
- A significant association was also found between loneliness and depression.
- Other dimensions of psychological distress did not show a significant relationship with loneliness.
- No significant sex differences were observed in the patterns of association.
Conclusions:
- Loneliness is strongly correlated with self-blame and self-devaluation.
- The findings suggest that interpersonal sensitivity and depression are key psychological correlates of loneliness in this population.