Loneliness in schizophrenia and its possible correlates. An exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Social Neuroscience

Background:

• Social attachment is a fundamental human need; unmet needs lead to loneliness.
• Loneliness is linked to impaired social cognition and increased morbidity.
• Little is understood about loneliness within the schizophrenia population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate loneliness levels in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
• To examine the relationship between loneliness, social cognition, and comorbid medical conditions in schizophrenia patients.
• To explore the psychological underpinnings of loneliness in schizophrenia compared to controls.

Main Methods:

• 87 individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and 58 controls completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale.
• Social cognition was assessed via self-report and performance-based tasks.
• Facial tasks assessed social trait perception; comorbid medical diagnoses were recorded for inpatients.

Main Results:

• Patients with schizophrenia reported significantly higher loneliness than controls.
• Loneliness in patients was associated with self-reported social cognition deficits.
• Loneliness scores predicted drug abuse/dependence, hypertension, and abnormal hemoglobin A1c levels in patients.
• Patients' loneliness was independent of objective social isolation and differed psychologically from controls' loneliness.

Conclusions:

• Loneliness is a prevalent issue in schizophrenia, exceeding that of controls and not solely due to social isolation.
• Loneliness in schizophrenia is associated with social cognition impairments and predicts significant medical comorbidities.
• Loneliness in schizophrenia may stem from different psychological processes and warrants further investigation, especially concerning metabolic syndrome prevalence.