Loneliness in daily life: Examining the roles of loneliness chronicity and negatively biased cognitions
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Van Bogart, Karina
- Graduate Program:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 29, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Thomas Gould, Program Head/Chair
Amy Marshall, Outside Unit & Field Member
Jennifer Graham-Engeland, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Joshua Smyth, Major Field Member
Derek Spangler, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- loneliness
daily life
variability
chronicity
social hypervigilance
rumination
depressed mood - Abstract:
- The negative mental and physical health consequences of loneliness are well-established and profound. Theoretically, one perspective is that acute loneliness may be an adaptive social-motivating response, whereas chronic loneliness is likely maladaptive and associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. However, most existing research lacks measurement of the duration of loneliness and it is unclear whether loneliness in daily life differs for those experiencing chronic compared to acute loneliness. Examining loneliness in daily life may reveal important dynamics and associations related to long-term health. Further, although prominent theoretical models suggest that negatively biased cognitions (such as social hypervigilance, rumination, and depressed mood) relate to chronic loneliness, no research to date has examined whether these factors relate to loneliness in daily life and whether associations vary depending on the duration of loneliness. Such examination has the potential to reveal key information regarding risk factors for prolonged loneliness in addition to being a first step in disentangling the level (or intensity) and duration of loneliness and connecting this to loneliness experienced in daily life. Given the notable gaps in previous research, the current study sought to characterize the daily lives of individuals who are chronically lonely, compared to those who are acutely lonely and non-lonely. Specifically, this study examined whether 1) loneliness status (chronically lonely, acutely lonely, non-lonely), 2) levels of self-reported social hypervigilance, rumination, and depressed mood and 3) the interaction of these factors predicted average daily loneliness (Aim 1) and variability in daily loneliness (Aim 2). An online sample of 89 adults aged 23-78 years (55.06% women, generally healthy) completed baseline assessments of demographic and psychosocial characteristics and a negative attentional bias behavioral task, followed by 14 consecutive days of surveys assessing loneliness and other factors in daily life. Participants were categorized into groups based on loneliness status (level and duration determined upon screening) for comparison (33 chronically lonely, 27 acutely lonely, and 29 non-lonely). Lonely individuals overall (chronic and acute combined) reported higher levels of average daily loneliness than non-lonely individuals (b = 20.56, p < .001). Chronically lonely individuals had significantly greater variability in daily loneliness compared to acutely lonely individuals (b = 461.88, p = .044), and lonely individuals overall (chronic and acute combined) had significantly greater variability in daily loneliness compared to non-lonely individuals (b = 2.74, p <.001). Among the total sample, higher levels of all three negatively biased cognitions (social hypervigilance, rumination, and depressed mood self-reported at baseline) were each individually associated with higher average levels of daily loneliness and greater variability in daily loneliness. Further, the associations between self-reported social hypervigilance and average daily loneliness and variability in daily loneliness remained significant while controlling for objective negative attentional bias. The interaction between loneliness status (chronically, acutely, non-lonely) and negatively biased cognitions did not reveal any significant results. These findings contribute novel information about the associations between loneliness chronicity and negatively biased cognitions with average levels and variability of daily loneliness. Chronically lonely individuals exhibited the greatest variability in daily loneliness, which suggests that loneliness dynamics (e.g., variability) may play an important role in the chronicity of loneliness. Findings may help to inform theory and future research that aims to better understand how chronically lonely individuals experience daily life.