Living alone is bad for your mental health and wellbeing. A new study highlights that people who live alone are at a higher risk of developing mental disorders.
Living alone is positively associated with common mental disorders, regardless of age and sex, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Louis Jacob from University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, and colleagues.
Living Alone Increases Likelihood of Depression
People of working age who live alone are more likely to be depressed compared with people living in families.
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The proportion of people living alone has increased in recent years due to population aging, decreasing marriage rates and lowering fertility. Previous studies have investigated the link between living alone and mental disorders but have generally been conducted in elderly populations and are not generalizable to younger adults.
In the new study, researchers used data on 20,500 individuals aged 16-64 living in England who participated in 1993, 2000, or 2007 National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys. Whether a person had a common mental disorder (CMD) was assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R), a questionnaire focusing on neurotic symptoms during the previous week. In addition to the number of people living in a household, data was available on factors including weight and height, alcohol dependence, drug use, social support, and loneliness.
![Living Alone can Take a Toll on Your Physical Health]( "Living Alone can Take a Toll on Your Physical Health")
People who live alone have a lower diversity of food intake and consumption of core food groups like fruits, vegetables and fish.
The prevalence of people living alone in 1993, 2000, and 2007 was 8.8 percent, 9.8 percent, and 10.7 percent. In those years, the rates of CMD was 14.1 percent, 16.3 percent, and 16.4 percent. In all years, all ages, and both men and women, there was a positive association between living alone and CMD (1993 odds ratio 1.69; 2000 OR 1.63; 2007 OR 1.88). In different subgroups of people, living alone increased a person's risk for CMD by 1.39 to 2.43 times. Overall, loneliness explained 84 percent of the living alone-CMD association. The authors suggest that interventions which tackle loneliness might also aid the mental wellbeing of individuals living alone.
Jacob summarizes: "Living alone is positively associated with common mental disorders in the general population in England."
Source: Newswise
Living Alone can Take a Toll on Your Physical Health
People who live alone have a lower diversity of food intake and consumption of core food groups like fruits, vegetables and fish.
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The prevalence of people living alone in 1993, 2000, and 2007 was 8.8 percent, 9.8 percent, and 10.7 percent. In those years, the rates of CMD was 14.1 percent, 16.3 percent, and 16.4 percent. In all years, all ages, and both men and women, there was a positive association between living alone and CMD (1993 odds ratio 1.69; 2000 OR 1.63; 2007 OR 1.88). In different subgroups of people, living alone increased a person's risk for CMD by 1.39 to 2.43 times. Overall, loneliness explained 84 percent of the living alone-CMD association. The authors suggest that interventions which tackle loneliness might also aid the mental wellbeing of individuals living alone.
Jacob summarizes: "Living alone is positively associated with common mental disorders in the general population in England."
Source: Newswise
Elderly Living Alone In Danger Of Malnutrition
Elders living alone are in danger of malnourishment. Sharing meals with them could neutralize the problem, an Australian study shows.
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 Spending Some Time Alone as a New College Student Does Not Make You a Loner: StudyAre you a fresher in college? Spending time alone as a new college student can contribute to the well-being and successful adjustment to college life. | Advertisement
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