Loneliness in Schizophrenia: The Mediating Roles of Asocial Beliefs and Mattering

Loneliness is a pervasive concern for people with schizophrenia and is associated with deleterious effects on health outcomes. However, its underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood.

The current study examined the roles of perceptions of mattering to others and asocial beliefs in contributing to loneliness among people with schizophrenia compared to those without a history of serious mental illness (NC).

Participants included people with schizophrenia (N = 72) and an NC group (N = 65), aged 41 to 70 years, from a parent study of loneliness and aging. Group differences in loneliness, asocial beliefs, and mattering were assessed. Path analyses tested a partial mediation model evaluating direct and indirect pathways between diagnostic group, asocial beliefs, mattering, and loneliness.

People with schizophrenia reported higher loneliness and asocial beliefs and lower perceived mattering than the NC group. Path analyses indicated that asocial beliefs and mattering partially mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and loneliness. Specifically, higher asocial beliefs were associated with lower mattering, which in turn predicted greater loneliness.

Our findings highlight the potential value of evaluating and addressing asocial beliefs and perceptions of mattering as novel targets in intervention to reduce loneliness among people with schizophrenia.