An experimental investigation of the influence of loneliness on changes in belongingness and desire to escape

Abstract

Objective: Loneliness is a well-established risk factor for suicide in young adults, but the mechanisms involved are still unclear. Drawing on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, the Evolutionary Model of Loneliness, and Prospect Theory, we examined if high and low levels of loneliness are associated with different patterns of response to losses or gains of belongingness.Methods: A sample of 188 students completed the UCLA-Loneliness scale (version 3) and measures of suicide risk. Participants in the top and bottom tertiles of loneliness scores completed a computerized task designed to induce changes (gains, losses) or consistency in risk factors for suicide (belongingness, burdensomeness) over time, and examined the effect on desire to quit the task. Results:The results showed that the high loneliness group exhibited a larger magnitude of effect on desire to quit from gaining belongingness than for losing belongingness. In contrast, the low loneliness group showed a larger change in desire to quit from losing belongingness than gaining belongingness. Conclusion:The findings provide preliminary experimental support for distinct profiles of suicide risk based on prevailing levels of loneliness. The findings are discussed in relation to a need for increased precision in theoretical models of suicide and loneliness.

Suicidal ideation among men during COVID‐19: Examining the roles of loneliness, thwarted belongingness, and personality impairment

“…Some researchers have used loneliness as a proxy for TB, suggesting that they may be synonymous constructs. However, as Badcock, Carrington‐Jones, Stritzke, and Page (2022) have pointed out, a growing body of research argues against treating TB and loneliness synonymously (Gratz et al ., 2020; Leary, Kelly, Cottrell & Schreindorfer, 2013; Mellor, Stokes, Firth, Hayashi & Cummins, 2008; Vanhalst et al ., 2015), as doing so fails to consider their distinct features, and that each may have independent influences on suicide risk. Indeed, whereas loneliness represents the painful state of being alone or dis‐satisfied relationally, TB refers to the meaning that one makes from having one's need for connection with others impeded.…”