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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 525-550 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 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.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program | BCS-719780, BCS-11041118, BCS-0132398 |
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences | 0132398 |
John Templeton Foundation | 5158 |
Keywords
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Relationships
- Self-concept confusion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Clinical Psychology