Skoko Andrej, Seewer Noëmi, Mund Marcus, Krieger Tobias
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 28;20(4):e0321931. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321931. eCollection 2025.
Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a critical public health issue that profoundly affects psychological well-being and social functioning. This study evaluates cognitive and behavioral differences associated with different facets of loneliness. We classified 790 German-speaking adults (MAge = 31.86 (12.48), 81% female) as lonely or not lonely based on three dimensions - loneliness frequency, distress, and chronicity - and tested for group differences regarding cognitive and behavioral aspects, as proposed by the cognitive model of loneliness, while controlling for depressive and social anxiety symptoms. The results indicate fair to substantial agreement between the three classification methods. Further, we found significant group differences regarding all components, such as interpretation bias, social avoidance, and self-esteem, with each loneliness classification method. Our findings highlight the multifaceted nature of loneliness and underscore the importance of applying diverse methods to fully capture its complexity. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of loneliness and its implications, suggesting that interventions should consider the specific dimensions of loneliness to effectively address its cognitive and behavioral ramifications.
孤独日益被视为一个关键的公共卫生问题，它对心理健康和社会功能有着深远影响。本研究评估了与孤独不同方面相关的认知和行为差异。我们根据孤独频率、痛苦程度和慢性程度这三个维度，将790名说德语的成年人（平均年龄 = 31.86（12.48），81%为女性）分为孤独或不孤独两类，并按照孤独的认知模型，在控制抑郁和社交焦虑症状的同时，测试了认知和行为方面的组间差异。结果表明三种分类方法之间存在适度到高度的一致性。此外，我们发现每种孤独分类方法在所有组成部分上都存在显著的组间差异，如解释偏差、社交回避和自尊。我们的研究结果凸显了孤独的多面性，并强调了应用多种方法来全面把握其复杂性的重要性。本研究有助于更细致入微地理解孤独及其影响，表明干预措施应考虑孤独的具体维度，以有效应对其认知和行为后果。
