ArticleThe Journal of clinical psychiatry2020
Predictors of Loneliness by Age Decade: Study of Psychological and Environmental Factors in 2,843 Community-Dwelling Americans Aged 20-69 Years.
Article in The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder Among Adults in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Loneliness as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder symptom change among treatment-seeking US military veterans.Psychological medicine · 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
- Factors Associated with Loneliness Among Older Adults Who Experienced Homelessness: Results from the HOPE HOME Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Determinants of loneliness and quality of life among rural community-dwelling older adults in Egypt: A cross-sectional descriptive study.Belitung nursing journal · 2026Article
- The relationship between social media use and loneliness across the lifespan in the United States: Population-based study using Health Information National Trends Survey data.Advances in patient-reported outcomes · 2025Article
- Correlates of Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Korean Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Social Well-Being among Rural County Fair Attendees: Results from a Pilot Study.Rural mental health · 2025Article
- Article
- Facilitators to alleviate loneliness and social isolation as identified by individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders: A qualitative study.Rehabilitation psychology · 2024Article
- Difference-Making Pathways to Frailty Through Social Factors: A Configurational Analysis.The Gerontologist · 2024Article
- Coping and psychological well-being among persons with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: The role of perceived self-efficacy.Multiple sclerosis and related disorders · 2024Article
- General self-efficacy, not musculoskeletal health, was associated with social isolation and loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2024Article
- The effect of parental regulatory focus on the loneliness stigma of college children.BMC public health · 2024Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jordan.Cureus · 2023Article
- Experience of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of 50 968 adult Danes.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Loneliness is Associated With Lower Coping Self-Efficacy Among Older Adults.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2023Article
- Remotely Administered Resilience- and Wisdom-Focused Intervention to Reduce Perceived Stress and Loneliness: Pilot Controlled Clinical Trial in Older Adults.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2023Article
- Abbreviated San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE-7) and Jeste-Thomas Wisdom Index (JTWI).International psychogeriatrics · 2022Article
- Subgroups of patients undergoing chemotherapy with distinct cognitive fatigue and evening physical fatigue profiles.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveLoneliness is a prevalent and serious public health problem due to its effects on health, well-being, and longevity. Understanding correlates of loneliness is critical for guiding efforts toward the development of evidence-based strategies for prevention and intervention. Considering that patterns of association between age and loneliness vary, the present study sought to examine age-related differences in risk and protective factors for loneliness.
methodsCorrelates of loneliness were examined through a large web-based survey of 2,843 participants (aged 20-69 years) from across the United States from April 10, 2019, through May 10, 2019. Participants completed the 4-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, San Diego Wisdom Scale (with the following subscales measuring components of wisdom: Prosocial Behaviors, Emotional Regulation, Self-Reflection, Acceptance of Divergent Values, Decisiveness, and Social Advising), and other scales measuring psychosocial variables. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify the best model of loneliness and examine potential age-related differences.
resultsAge demonstrated a nonlinear quadratic relationship with loneliness (Wald statistic = 5.48, P = .019); levels were highest in the 20s and lowest in the 60s with another peak in the mid-40s. Across all decades, loneliness was associated with not having a spouse or partner (P < .001), sleep disturbance (P < .02), lower prosocial behaviors (P < .001), and smaller social network (P < .001). Lower social self-efficacy (P < .001) and higher anxiety (P < .005) were associated with worse loneliness in all age decades, except the 60s. Loneliness was uniquely associated with decisiveness in the 50s (P = .012) and with education (P = .046) and memory complaints (P = .013) in the 60s.
conclusionsOur findings identify several potentially modifiable targets related to loneliness, including several aspects of wisdom and social self-efficacy. Differential predictors at different decades suggest a need for a personalized and nuanced prioritizing of prevention and intervention targets.
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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.