ArticlePloS one2017
Loneliness is adversely associated with physical and mental health and lifestyle factors: Results from a Swiss national survey.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 138 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
138 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 343 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Technology-Based Interventions on the Reduction of Loneliness: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Loneliness and the onset of new mental health problems in the general population.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- Older Adults' Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Physical Information and Communication Technology in the Era of Ambient Assisted Living: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Long-Term Effects on Loneliness of a Computer-Tailored Intervention for Older Adults With Chronic Diseases: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of aging and health · 2021Trial
- The Silent Chief Complaint.Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry · 2026Article
- The Pathway From Loneliness to Chronic Diseases: Examining the Mediating Roles of Depression and Self-Perceived Health, and the Moderating Effect of Age Among Older Adults in Israel.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026Article
- Risk factors for Problematic Internet Use (PIU) among Polish students: the role of loneliness, depression, and health behaviours in a predictive analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- A feasibility RCT protocol of the MATILDA intervention to support older adults with intellectual disability to improve their health and social networks.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- The association between loneliness and quality of life in cancer survivors: All of Us research program.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Association of mainly vegetarian and vegan diets with loneliness, social isolation and social withdrawal in a German population survey.PloS one · 2026Article
- Long-term risk of irritable bowel syndrome associated with social isolation and loneliness: a large-scale prospective cohort study with mediation analysis.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Mapping loneliness prevention and alleviation interventions: a comparative survey of Basel, Bern, Zurich, and Dublin.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Health vulnerability and loneliness among adolescent and young adult populations: a comparison of generations based on a nationwide survey in Japan.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Relationships between primal emotional systems and the sense of loneliness: The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas.PloS one · 2026Article
- Beyond the Physical Demands: Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Female Spousal Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Lifestyle behaviors and loneliness in community-dwelling veterans living with spinal cord injuries and disorders.Spinal cord · 2025Article
- Beliefs about god buffer against the health risks of loneliness and social isolation in five major religions and 22 countries.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The impact of loneliness on healthcare costs and service utilisation and the cost-effectiveness of loneliness interventions: systematic review.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Loneliness in Resettlement Among Multi-Ethnic Resettled Refugees in Ohio.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Article
78 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLoneliness is a common, emotionally distressing experience and is associated with adverse physical and mental health and an unhealthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, little is known about the prevalence of loneliness in different age groups in Switzerland. Furthermore, the existing evidence about age and gender as potential effect modifiers of the associations between loneliness, physical and mental health and lifestyle characteristics warrants further investigation. Thus, the aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of loneliness among adults in Switzerland and to assess the associations of loneliness with several physical and mental health and behavioral factors, as well as to assess the modifying effect of sex and age.
methodsData from 20,007 participants of the cross-sectional population-based Swiss Health Survey 2012 (SHS) were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations of loneliness with physical and mental health or lifestyle characteristics (e.g. diabetes, depression, physical activity). Wald tests were used to test for interactions.
resultsLoneliness was distributed in a slight U-shaped form from 15 to 75+ year olds, with 64.1% of participants who had never felt lonely. Lonely individuals were more often affected by physical and mental health problems, such as self-reported chronic diseases (Odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-1.54), high cholesterol levels (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.18-1.45), diabetes (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.16-1.67), moderate and high psychological distress (OR 3.74, 95% CI 3.37-4.16), depression (OR 2.78, 95% CI 2.22-3.48) and impaired self-perceived health (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.74-2.16). Loneliness was significantly associated with most lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking; OR 1.13, 95% 1.05-1.23). Age, but not sex, moderated loneliness' association with several variables.
conclusionLoneliness is associated with poorer physical and mental health and unhealthy lifestyle, modified by age, but not by sex. Our findings illustrate the importance of considering loneliness for physical and mental health and lifestyle factors, not only in older and younger, but also in middle-aged adults. Longitudinal studies are needed in Switzerland to elucidate the causal relationships of these associations.
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