Cited by 1,223Health disparities and outcomesCOVID-19 and Mental HealthMental Health Treatment and Access

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 4 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Loneliness in the general population: prevalence, determinants and relations to mental health

Open access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: While loneliness has been regarded as a risk to mental and physical health, there is a lack of current community data covering a broad age range. This study used a large and representative German adult sample to investigate loneliness. METHODS: Baseline data of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) collected between April 2007 and April 2012 (N = 15,010; 35-74 years), were analyzed. Recruitment for the community-based, prospective, observational cohort study was performed in equal strata for gender, residence and age decades. Measures were provided by self-report and interview. Loneliness was used as a predictor for distress (depression, generalized anxiety, and suicidal ideation) in logistic regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic variables and mental distress. RESULTS: A total of 10.5% of participants reported some degree of loneliness (4.9% slight, 3.9% moderate and 1.7% severely distressed by loneliness). Loneliness declined across age groups. Loneliness was stronger in women, in participants without a partner, and in those living alone and without children. Controlling for demographic variables and other sources of distress loneliness was associated with depression (OR = 1.91), generalized anxiety (OR = 1.21) and suicidal ideation (OR = 1.35). Lonely participants also smoked more and visited physicians more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the view that loneliness poses a significant health problem for a sizeable part of the population with increased risks in terms of distress (depression, anxiety), suicidal ideation, health behavior and health care utilization.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In a large German community sample aged 35–74, 10.5% reported some degree of loneliness, and loneliness was associated with depression, generalized anxiety, suicidal ideation, smoking, and greater health care use after adjustment. The authors conclude loneliness is a significant public health problem in this population.

Key findings

  • Among 15,010 participants, 10.5% reported some loneliness: 4.9% slight, 3.9% moderate, and 1.7% severely distressed by loneliness; loneliness declined across age groups.
  • Loneliness was more frequent in women, participants without a partner, those without children, and those living alone; SES declined with increasing loneliness.
  • Adjusting for sociodemographic variables and other distress, loneliness predicted depression (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.74–2.09), generalized anxiety (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.09–1.34), and suicidal ideation (abstract/discussion report OR = 1.35; Table 2 lists OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.19–1.44).
  • Severe loneliness was associated with more smoking, physician visits (63% vs. 42% with no loneliness), inpatient treatment (21% vs. 13%), antidepressant use (24.8% vs. 4.5%), and anxiolytic use (3.3% vs. 0.8%).

Methods

  • Cross-sectional baseline data from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), collected April 2007–April 2012: population-based, prospective, observational single-center cohort in Mainz and Mainz-Bingen, Germany; N = 15,010, aged 35–74, mean age 54.9 ± 11.1, 49.4% female.
  • Recruitment was stratified in equal strata for gender, residence, and age decades; response rate was 60.3%, and 5.8% were excluded for insufficient German language or inability to participate.
  • Loneliness was assessed by a single item about being frequently alone/having few contacts and suffering from it, recoded into no, slight, moderate, and severe loneliness; associations with depression (PHQ-8 ≥ 10), generalized anxiety (GAD-2 ≥ 3), and suicidal ideation were tested in multiple generalized linear models with binomial distribution and log link, adjusted for sociodemographic variables and mental distress.

Limitations

  • The authors state the cross-sectional design does not permit causal conclusions; loneliness may contribute to distress and suicidality, but depression and anxiety may also lead to social withdrawal.
  • The authors state they did not directly assess the size and quality of social networks, so they cannot estimate the effect of social isolation, a confounding variable when investigating loneliness.
  • The authors state loneliness was measured with only a single item, and they recommend caution interpreting p-values because no adjustments for multiple testing were performed in this exploratory study; they also note that individuals under 35 years old were not studied. Evident from the text: the sample is from one German region and relies on self-report/interview measures, with a 60.3% response rate.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s12888-017-1262-x

Cites

37 of 37 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Fig. 1 Loneliness across the age range in a German representative sample: men and women living alone or living with partner
Fig. 1 Loneliness across the age range in a German representative sample: men and women living alone or living with partnerCC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

24 Own result · 9 Own method · 3 Not checked yet · 3 Own interpretation

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  • The quote only partly states this claim. 8
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 8
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 9
22 of 22
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Non-response (response rate 60.3%) and exclusions (5.8%) did not substantially bias the prevalence and association estimates in the Gutenberg Health Study sample.

    “The response rate amounted to 60.3%.”
    “We excluded 5.8% of the sample due to insufficient knowledge of German language, physical or mental inability to participate.”
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Citations

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Metadata

Authors
Beutel, M. E., Klein, E. M., Brähler, E., Reiner, I., Jünger, C., Michal, M., Wiltink, J., Wild, P. S., Münzel, T., Lackner, K. J., & Tibubos, A. N.
Affiliations
  • University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
Corresponding author
Tibubos, Ana N.
Venue
BMC Psychiatry
Published
2017-03-20
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
97-97
ISSN
1471-244X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2602706681
Cited by
1,223
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 99 · 2025: 173 · 2024: 182 · 2023: 179 · 2022: 201 · 2021: 196 · 2020: 118 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 4
FWCI
57.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Stiftung Rheinland-Pfalz für Innovation (AZ 961-386261/733)
  • Wissen schafft Zukunft
  • Center for Translational Vascular Biology (CTVB)
  • Boehringer Ingelheim and PHILIPS Medical Systems
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
loneliness, prevalence, mental health, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, living alone, singlehood, gender differences, age differences, smoking, health care utilization, Gutenberg Health Study
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Female, Germany, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Middle Aged, Population Surveillance, Risk Factors, Young Adult, Suicidal Ideation

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