Fan Zhiguang, Shi Xiaoli, Leng Jiaqi, Cui Dan, Li Deming
Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, People's Republic of China.
Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2025 Jan 8;18:25-38. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S494430. eCollection 2025.
Loneliness and psychological distress are serious challenges for older adults to cope with and factors threatening life quality and happiness during their remaining years. Older people's attitudes and evaluations towards loneliness potentially affect psychological distress. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between the stigma of loneliness and the psychological distress of older adults, further exploring the mediating effect of distress disclosure and loneliness.
Conducted during February and March 2024, the questionnaire survey included 933 older adults (age 65-89) using the Stigma of Loneliness Scale (SLS), Distress Disclosure Index (DDI), UCLA Loneliness scale (ULS-6), and 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). The obtained data were for descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and chain mediation model testing.
Stigma of loneliness was significantly positively correlated with loneliness and psychological distress (r=0.61-0.69, p<0.01), and distress disclosure was negatively correlated with stigma of loneliness, loneliness, and psychological distress (r=-0.37--0.48, p<0.01). Stigma of loneliness can not only directly affect the psychological distress of older adults (effect value=0.38), but also indirectly affect psychological distress through the mediating roles of distress disclosure (effect value=0.04) and loneliness (effect value=0.20), and the chain mediating effect of the two (effect value=0.05).
The study redounds to the in-depth understanding of the effect of the stigma of loneliness on psychological distress among older people and its internal mechanism. The research results contribute to theoretical reference in explaining the formation background of psychological distress among older cohorts, which intends to provide empirical evidence for intervention studies of reducing psychological distress.
孤独和心理困扰是老年人面临的严峻挑战，也是威胁其晚年生活质量和幸福感的因素。老年人对孤独的态度和评价可能会影响心理困扰。因此，本研究旨在探讨孤独污名与老年人心理困扰之间的关系，并进一步探究困扰表露和孤独感在其中的中介作用。
于2024年2月至3月进行问卷调查，共纳入933名65至89岁的老年人，使用孤独污名量表（SLS）、困扰表露指数（DDI）、加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表（ULS - 6）和6项凯斯勒心理困扰量表（K6）。对获得的数据进行描述性统计分析、相关性分析和链式中介模型检验。
孤独污名与孤独感和心理困扰呈显著正相关（r = 0.61 - 0.69，p < 0.01），困扰表露与孤独污名、孤独感和心理困扰呈负相关（r = - 0.37至 - 0.48，p < 0.01）。孤独污名不仅能直接影响老年人的心理困扰（效应值 = 0.38），还能通过困扰表露（效应值 = 0.04）和孤独感（效应值 = 0.20）的中介作用间接影响心理困扰，以及二者的链式中介作用（效应值 = 0.05）。
本研究有助于深入了解孤独污名对老年人心理困扰的影响及其内在机制。研究结果为解释老年人群体心理困扰的形成背景提供了理论参考，旨在为减轻心理困扰的干预研究提供实证依据。
