Social connectedness dimensions are associated with lower psychological distress among middle-aged Black Americans

We examined how multiple dimensions of social connectedness are associated with psychological distress among Black American adults in Milwaukee, WI, USA.

The sample included 897 Black adults from (MIDUS 3, 2016-2017: n = 389; and MIDUS Refresher, 2012-2013: n = 508). Social connectedness measures included neighborhood cohesion, family/friend support and strain, contribution to community, social contribution (beliefs about one's value to society), and social integration (sense of belonging). Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler-6 Scale (range 0-24) as a continuous outcome. Three serial multiple linear regression models tested associations: Model 1 (unadjusted; included only social connectedness measures), Model 2 (adjusted for demographics and health), and Model 3 (fully adjusted for demographics, health, socioeconomic factors, and spirituality).

After adjusting for all covariates in the fully adjusted model, three dimensions of social connectedness were significantly associated with lower psychological distress scores: neighborhood social cohesion (β = -0.74, 95% CI = -1.09 to - 0.39, p < 0.001), support from family (β = -0.62, 95% CI = -1.17 to - 0.07, p = 0.028), and social contribution (β = -0.68, 95% CI = -1.23 to - 0.12, p = 0.018). These associations remained significant across all three progressive models. Other social connectedness dimensions were not significantly associated with psychological distress.

Neighborhood social cohesion, family support, and beliefs about contributing meaningfully to society were associated with lower psychological distress among Black adults in Milwaukee. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of social connectedness and suggest that interventions targeting these specific dimensions may help reduce psychological distress in this population.