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The purpose of this paper is to understand the influence of change in loneliness on the experience of depression among the students in a business school in India. Building on the literature, the authors argued the dynamic nature of loneliness and depression and subsequently explored the linkage between change in loneliness and associated change in the experience of depression. Further, the purpose is also to explore whether such linkage depends on individual personality factors.

The present study is part of a bigger study that employed a longitudinal survey design. Data were collected in two phases with a six-month time lag between the phases. Data were initially collected in July 2014, and again with all measures repeated in January, 2015. Data were collected from two sections from the undergraduate program participants at one of the reputed institutions in India. Demographic variables such as gender, number of siblings, and family type (nuclear family or joint family) were collected. The authors controlled for age and qualification as all the students have the same qualification and almost all of them were in the same age group. All these variables were controlled due to their probable interference with the proposed theoretical model.

The findings reveal a significant role of loneliness on experience of depression and a moderating role of personality on the relationship. The linkage between change in loneliness and change in depression was found to be higher among those people who were high on extraversion. The findings clearly indicate that the impact of loneliness will be more as the need for attachment is high for individuals having higher extraversion.

Further research may explore the role of neuroticism in the link between loneliness and depression.

The findings of this longitudinal study are very relevant for all the professional groups in the college/university setting. It is important for students as well as college authorities to understand the dynamic nature and relationship of loneliness and depression, as well as the role of personality factors. Routine monitoring as well as various educational programs may be included as regular components of campus culture. Even curriculum can also be fine-tuned. Various programs can be designed to improve interpersonal skills, cognitive understanding, and resolution of aversive emotions, as these college going students or buddying managers are more receptive to intervention programs.

The paper clearly reflects its originality. It adds value in the form of contribution to theoretical development as well as to various college authorities to handle students emotions effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experience of loneliness amongst people who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

The research used a narrative phenomenological approach.

The study found that the loneliness experienced amongst this group of participants was perceived to have taken root in childhood and was not a transient state. Its endurance, however, had led participants to develop a number of strategies as means by which to manage what was felt to be a deep seated painful sense of emptiness; some of these strategies were, however, risky or harmful.

Limitations of the study include the absence of longitudinal data which would have offered the opportunity for the close study of how people manage the experience over time.

The study has practical implications for mental health professionals wishing to better understand the difficulties faced by individuals with the characteristics described, but it also highlights the resilience of sufferers who, while living with acute loneliness continue to explore ways of managing it.

The study brings to the attention that the connectivity and sociability required and expected in today’s society emphasise the lack of lonely individuals, further stigmatising loneliness as deficit and taboo.

The paper offers a welcome addition to loneliness studies in its adherence to the phenomenological experience and offers a small corrective to the bulk of existing loneliness studies which, while valuable have been more attentive to exploring the constituent elements of loneliness than the lived experience of it.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the need to develop a more balanced approach to addressing the loneliness experience by older people by recognising the psychological and emotional dynamics which cause it. It proposes a more holistic psychosocial approach to loneliness.

This paper draws on and reviews the published literature on the psychological aspects of loneliness.

Although not extensive, there is sufficient evidence to begin to develop and test more psychosocial approaches to addressing loneliness.

The evidence base is not extensive and a fair degree of it has not been fully trialled with older people.

There is an a priori case for using the evidence that exists to develop and test out new psychosocial interventions for addressing loneliness.

It is possible that a more psychosocial approach to loneliness will enable more to be done to address the significant distress of older people experience severe and chronic loneliness. It may also be possible to develop more effective preventative strategies which build resilience in older people.

The field of loneliness practice and research is overwhelmingly based on sociological analysis and social interventions. This paper is one of the first to explicitly highlight the value in drawing from psychological data in order to develop psychosocial approaches.

This chapter investigates the relationship between organizational climate, social support, and loneliness in the workplace. Data were collected from 362 employees from various occupational groups. Regression analyses presented support for predicted links between community spirit at work, a climate of fear in an organization, work-based support from co-workers and supervisors, and loneliness at work. The results support the hypothesis that a negative emotional climate and lack of collegial support adversely influences the experience of loneliness in workers. The results suggest that addressing interpersonal problems in the workplace and improving the psychological work environment within an organization may enhance the social and emotional well-being of employees.

The first year of college is a stressful life period connected with the experience of loneliness, isolation and depression since the majority of freshmen can no longer maintain an equally close relationship with school friends and family. Social networks have become a significant part of students' daily lives and might be an effective tool for maintaining relationship and reducing loneliness. There are contradictory results concerning the relationship between social networks sites (SNS) use and feelings of loneliness.

A four-week experiment was conducted to study the effect of SNS on feelings of social and emotional loneliness across freshmen. The treatment group (n = 40) took a break from SNS, while the control group (n = 37) used SNS as usual.

Comparison of the treatment and control groups showed that quitting SNS does not change either feeling of social/emotional loneliness. This paper also found that feelings of social and emotional loneliness did not depend on freshmen's positive/negative attitudes toward being alone.

This study is one of the few that uses experimental design to study the effects of using social networks on the psychological state of students in the context of higher education. The results showed that refusing SNS use can have a positive potential for psychological well-being of freshmen since solitude can be used by them as time for self-discovery and self-development. According to the results, social networks neither increase nor decrease the feeling of loneliness, and offline learning and communication environment plays a more significant role in the adaptation of freshmen. These results allow to take a new look at the studies related to the relationship between SNS use and loneliness and the role of social networks in the adaptation of freshmen.

Previous cross-sectional research has examined the effect of loneliness on mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine longitudinal relationships in students.

A total of 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of loneliness and mental health at four time points.

After controlling for demographics and baseline mental health, greater loneliness predicted greater anxiety, stress, depression and general mental health over time. There was no evidence that mental health problems increased loneliness over time. There was no relationship with alcohol problems. Baseline loneliness predicted greater eating disorder risk at follow-up and vice versa.

This study is limited by a relatively small and heavily female sample.

Social and psychological interventions to reduce loneliness in university settings may improve mental health.

Universities should consider organising social activities to mitigate feelings of loneliness in students.

This study adds to the literature as a longitudinal analysis showing that loneliness exacerbates poor mental health over time. This also adds to the literature for students specifically, and suggests a possible bi-directional relationship between eating disorders and loneliness for the first time.

The purpose of this paper is to report on research with older people that explored experiences of loneliness in order to consider community level approaches to prevent and reduce feelings of loneliness.

This research was co-produced with a community research group and involved a series of in-depth interviews (n=14) with older people. Interviews were thematically analysed.

Analysis revealed three key themes: connecting and disconnecting, points of vulnerability and older identity. Social connections were important to participants and many felt disconnected at times. Findings underline the importance of understanding the social perceptions of older people and how individuals themselves conceptualise older age.

Further research is needed to explore the value of social media in reducing feelings of loneliness generally. With regards to social implication the author suggests that older people need to be more visible and loneliness needs to be normalised and discussed without stigmatisation. In practical terms as people get older, and particularly as they retire, people need opportunities to re/engage with their geographically local community. The author suggests that preventing loneliness may mean finding supportive structures to enable this such as local community-based retirement classes. It is important to note that this research concentrated on one particular community in Bristol and needs to be replicated in order to further explore findings.

This research adopted a co-produced approach and involved community professionals, academics and local older people working together to explore the issue of loneliness. The author believes this has led to a greater breadth and depth of insight.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors associated with loneliness amongst people aged 55 and over living in Coventry, a medium-sized city in the Midlands, UK.

Quantitative community survey of residents, involving postal and online questionnaire and distribution of questionnaire to local community resources used by older people and “ballot boxes” for completed questionnaires in these locations.

Using multivariate regression analysis the study found that living alone, not enjoying life, needing help with personal care and not being in touch with people as often as liked all predicted loneliness.

Survey was commissioned by a range of local statutory and voluntary sector providers and had a wider focus than loneliness. Some evidence of under-representation of males, minority ethnic groups and possibly people from lower socio-economic groups is reported. Further qualitative research is needed to better understand consequences and causes of loneliness.

The study identified factors associated with loneliness that could be used to identify people who may be lonely in general or, for example, NHS or social care service populations.

Loneliness is slowly becoming more recognised as a social problem in its own right and a contributory factor in poor health and well-being. This paper explores a the relationship between lonely and “not lonely” people and a range of factors clustered within the four thematic areas of demographic background, reported health and well-being, access to personal resources and use of community resources of survey participants.

Loneliness is associated with a variety of physical and mental health problems as well as mortality. In the mental health context, loneliness is sometimes viewed as a symptom of mental disorder rather than a problem in its own right. The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of addressing loneliness amongst mental health service users.

Narrative overview of current literature on loneliness and health outcomes.

Loneliness is highly prevalent amongst adults with a variety of different mental health diagnoses in the UK. Preliminary evidence suggests that loneliness is not a symptom of mental health conditions themselves, and thus is likely to be either a cause or a consequence of mental ill-health. Lacking good quality social relationships is a risk factor for a wide range of health problems. The evidence for interventions targeting loneliness in different populations is lacking. New interventions and further research to tackle loneliness amongst service users is warranted.

Loneliness has not historically been a key target for intervention within mental health services. This paper collates the evidence base to provide the foundation for a new wave of interventions to target the perceived social isolation of service users.

Social isolation and loneliness are recognised social, health and wellbeing problems that particularly affect later life. They have been the subject of many recent studies. Studies examining the role of the internet in addressing these problems have multiplied. However, it is still not known whether internet-mediated social interaction has any role in mitigating social isolation and or loneliness. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to review previous research that investigates the relationship between internet use for communication and social isolation and loneliness.

This paper reviews the empirical literature published since 2000 and expands on previous literature reviews by including a variety of research designs and disciplines.

Despite the recent increase in studies, there is still little evidence to show internet effects on social isolation and loneliness. It is concluded that future research programmes aimed at reducing them by the use of the internet should include more robust methodological and theoretical frameworks, employ longitudinal research designs and provide a more nuanced description of both the social phenomena (social isolation and loneliness) and internet-mediated social interaction.

Previous reviews are not restricted to internet-based studies and include several types of interventions aiming at reducing social isolation and/or loneliness. They do not attempt to disentangle the internet effects of social isolation and loneliness.