An unclear self leads to poor mental health: Self-concept confusion mediates the association of loneliness with depression

Stephanie B. Richman, Richard S. Pond, C. Nathan Dewall, Madoka Kumashiro, Erica B. Slotter, Laura B. Luchies

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Past research has established that loneliness is associated with both self-concept confusion and depression. The present work ties these disparate lines of research together by demonstrating that self-concept confusion mediates the relationship between loneliness and depression. Three studies, one cross-sectional and two longitudinal, supported this hypothesis. Moreover, the model was supported both in samples of dating and married couples and in samples of noncouples. This research contributes to a greater understanding of why people who feel socially disconnected have poor mental health. Understanding this mechanism has important implications for strategies targeting the early prevention of depression and improving mental health outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)525-550
Number of pages26
JournalJournal of Social and Clinical Psychology
Volume35
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Guilford Publications, Inc.

Funding

This research would not have been possible without funding from grants from NSF (BCS-11041118 to Nathan DeWall; BCS-719780 to Eli Finkel and BCS-0132398 to Caryl Rusbult) and Templeton Foundation (Grant 5158) to Caryl Rusbult.

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science ProgramBCS-719780, BCS-11041118, BCS-0132398
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences0132398
John Templeton Foundation5158

    Keywords

    • Depression
    • Loneliness
    • Relationships
    • Self-concept confusion

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Social Psychology
    • Clinical Psychology

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