ArticleAmerican journal of epidemiology2012
On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being.
Article in American journal of epidemiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Loneliness and the onset of new mental health problems in the general population.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- G-estimation of causal pathways in vocational rehabilitation for adults with psychotic disorders - a secondary analysis of a randomized trial.BMC psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Contours of a causal feedback mechanism between adaptive personality and psychosocial function in patients with personality disorders: a secondary analysis from a randomized clinical trial.BMC psychiatry · 2017Trial
- Perceived connectedness during the perinatal period: Implications for parent and child well-being.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Review
- Loneliness around the world: patterns, predictors, and well-being implications.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Association Between Loneliness, eHealth Literacy, and Quality of Life Among Chinese Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Examining the Association Between Occupational Strain and Risk of Angina Pectoris Among Older Working Adults in India Using Karasek's Job Demand Control Model.Research square · 2026Article
- Five-factor model-based personality profiles in South Korea.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Effects of Loneliness and Subjective Well-Being on Depression in Female Adolescents: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Model of the Parental Relationship.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Psychological Well-Being Among Older Chinese Migrants in Chiang Mai, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study on Structural and Psychosocial Resources.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Social Isolation and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Examination by Race/Ethnicity and Gender.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- "Kinlessness," Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being in Europe.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- The Loneliness of the Odd One Out: How Deviations From Social Norms Can Help Explain Loneliness Across Cultures.Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2025Article
- Racial/ethnic inequities in potentially harmful supplement use: Results of a prospective US cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic.Public health · 2025Article
- Multiple social factors are associated with wellbeing when accounting for shared genetic and environmental confounding.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Digital back-feeding and the mental health of rural older adults: mediation of basic psychological need satisfaction.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends in Aging and Leisure Activities from 2000 to 2023.Current aging science · 2025Article
- Linkages between socioeconomic inequalities, pro-environmental behaviours, climate change concerns and experiences, and wellbeing outcomes in England.Sustainable environment · 2025Article
- Combating the mental health challenge of loneliness among urban youth: could finding meaning in life and experiencing thriving enhance their well-being?BMC public health · 2024Article
- Exploring digital use, happiness, and loneliness in Japan with the experience sampling method.Npj mental health research · 2024Article
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Loneliness has been shown to longitudinally predict subjective well-being. The authors used data from a longitudinal population-based study (2002-2006) of non-Hispanic white, African-American, and nonblack Latino-American persons born between 1935 and 1952 and living in Cook County, Illinois. They applied marginal structural models for time-varying exposures to examine the magnitude and persistence of the effects of loneliness on subjective well-being and of subjective well-being on loneliness. Their results indicate that, if interventions on loneliness were made 1 and 2 years prior to assessing final subjective well-being, then only the intervention 1 year prior would have an effect (standardized effect = -0.29). In contrast, increases in subjective well-being 1 year prior (standardized effect = -0.26) and 2 years prior (standardized effect = -0.13) to assessing final loneliness would both have an effect on an individual's final loneliness. These effects persist even after control is made for depressive symptoms, social support, and psychiatric conditions and medications as time-varying confounders. Results from this study indicate an asymmetrical and persistent feedback of fairly substantial magnitude between loneliness and subjective well-being. Mechanisms responsible for the asymmetry are discussed. Developing interventions for loneliness and subjective well-being could have substantial psychological and health benefits.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.