Table 1.
Different degrees of subjective loneliness in a German representative sample: Sociodemographic characteristics, health related variables, and distress
| No | Slight | Moderate | Severe | p-value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| loneliness | loneliness | loneliness | loneliness | ||
| N (%) | 13,124 (89.5) | 720 (4.9) | 569 (3.9) | 248 (1.7) | |
| Sociodemographic variables | |||||
| Age (years) | 55.1 ± 11.1 | 53.4 ± 10.6 | 53.0 ± 11.0 | 53.1 ± 11.1 | < 0.0001 |
| Women | 48.3 | 54.9 | 64.1 | 66.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Partnership | 84.7 | 55.4 | 54.3 | 42.1 | < 0.0001 |
| Children | 85.6 | 76.3 | 81.1 | 77.3 | < 0.0001 |
| Living alone | 11.7 | 36.7 | 36.1 | 48.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Socioeconomic status | 13.1 ± 4.4 | 12.4 ± 4.4 | 12.0 ± 4.4 | 11.4 ± 4.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Unemployment | 38.7 | 36.1 | 40.5 | 45.5 | n.s. |
| Health related variables | |||||
| Smoker | 18.5 | 26.1 | 27.4 | 31.8 | < 0.0001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.3 ± 4.9 | 27.6 ± 5.6 | 27.1 ± 5.4 | 28.4 ± 6.5 | n.s. |
| Alcohol gram/day | 11.4 ± 16.7 | 10.3 ± 18.4 | 9.9 ± 17.8 | 8.5 ± 19.6 | < 0.0001 |
| Antidepressant | 4.5 | 11.0 | 15.0 | 24.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Anxiolytic | 0.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 3.3 | < 0.0001 |
| Visited physician past month | 41.9 | 48.3 | 52.3 | 63.4 | < 0.0001 |
| Inpatient treatment past year | 13.0 | 14.7 | 19.5 | 21.1 | < 0.0001 |
| Distress | |||||
| Current depression (PHQ-8 ≥ 10) | 5.2 | 19.3 | 30.5 | 52.6 | < 0.0001 |
| Generalized anxiety (GAD) > = 3 | 4.8 | 12.9 | 25.7 | 40.2 | < 0.0001 |
| Panic attack (past 4 weeks) | 4.6 | 10.2 | 13.6 | 30.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Suicidal ideation | 5.6 | 18.9 | 26.4 | 41.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Type D | 20.5 | 46.5 | 54.7 | 55.1 | <0.0001 |
Note: *chi2 or Kruskal Wallis test; numerical values with standard deviation are mean scores, values without standard deviation are percentages