Overview

• The PLOS One study analyzed phone survey data from 47,318 noninstitutionalized U.S. adults collected between 2016 and 2023.
• More than 80% of participants reported some level of loneliness, with always lonely individuals showing a 50.2% predicted probability of depression versus 9.7% for those never lonely.
• Always lonely respondents averaged 10.9 additional poor mental health days and 5 extra poor physical health days per month compared to their never lonely peers.
• Women and white adults exhibited higher loneliness prevalence, while Black and Hispanic groups showed lower odds of depression at equivalent loneliness levels, pointing to protective cultural or social factors.
• Researchers recommend integrating loneliness screening into routine care and expanding community and digital interventions to address its broad mental and physical health impacts.