Indirect Effects of Loneliness on Substance Use Through Stress

• In Event: Communication, Mental Health and Well-Being

Abstract

Loneliness is associated with a range of physical health problems, and health behaviors have been specified as one factor that explains the compromised health of lonely people. Accordingly, in this investigation we sought to test direct and indirect (through stress) effects of loneliness on substance use (i.e., alcohol consumption, drinking problems, and prescription medication use) over the course of 1 year in a 2-wave longitudinal study. These effects were tested in a sample of 210 young adults who completed self-report measures of loneliness and substance use at time 1, and then completed measures of stress and substance use at time 2. The results showed that loneliness did not have prospective direct effects on substance use, but that it did have significant indirect effects, through increased stress, on all indicators of substance use. These findings highlight the role of stress in compromising the health of lonely people by increasing their propensity for health risk behaviors.

Authors

• Chris Segrin, U of Arizona

• Melissa McNelis, U of Arizona

• Corey Pavlich, U of Arizona