Loneliness, Discrimination, Stress, and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Young Adults

The aim of this study was to determine the associations between type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and loneliness and related social experiences in young adults, a population at increasingly high risk of type 2 diabetes.

This was a cross-sectional analysis using data from adults aged 18-35 years enrolled in the All of Us Research Program. Exposures included loneliness, social support, discrimination, neighborhood social cohesion, and stress, measured by standardized surveys. The main outcome was type 2 diabetes or prediabetes by self-report or linked health record. Logistic regression determined the odds of type 2 diabetes/prediabetes for each survey measure, adjusting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, income, and family history. Latent class analysis evaluated clustering of social experiences. Data were collected from 2018 to 2022 and analyzed in May 2023-June 2024.

The cohort included 14,217 young adults (aged 28.2 ± 4.4 years, 73.1% [n=10,391] women, 64.1% [n=9,111] White, 10.6% [n=1,506] Hispanic, 5.7% [n=806] Black, and 9.1% [n=1,299] multiracial). Overall, 5.5% (n=777) had either prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The 2 highest loneliness quartiles were associated with increased odds of prediabetes/type 2 diabetes (Q3: OR=1.42 [95% CI=1.15, 1.76] and Q4: OR=1.78 [95% CI=1.45, 2.19]). Greater stress and discrimination and lower social support and neighborhood social cohesion were also associated with increased odds of prediabetes/type 2 diabetes. Latent class analysis revealed 3 distinct phenotypes, with elevated odds of prediabetes/type 2 diabetes in the 2 with the most adverse social profiles (OR=2.32 [95% CI=1.89, 2.84] and OR=1.28 [95% CI=1.04, 1.58]).

Loneliness and related experiences are strongly associated with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in young adults. Whether these factors could be leveraged to reduce type 2 diabetes risk should be investigated.