#socialconnection — Public Fediverse posts

DATE: September 6, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

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TITLE: Rising loneliness among US veterans is closely tied to psychiatric burden and suicide risk

URL: https://www.psypost.org/rising-loneliness-among-us-veterans-is-closely-tied-to-psychiatric-burden-and-suicide-risk/

New research indicates that loneliness is a widespread and worsening issue among United States military veterans, with more than one in five reporting frequent feelings of isolation. The study, published in J Clin Psychiatry, provides evidence that higher levels of loneliness are strongly linked to increased risks of psychiatric disorders and suicidal thoughts. These findings suggest that addressing social disconnection could be an important target for improving veteran mental health and preventing suicide.

The research was led by Robert H. Pietrzak, a professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and professor of public health at the Yale School of Public Health. He and his team aimed to update our understanding of how social disconnection affects former military personnel. Loneliness is generally defined as the subjective feeling of being left out, isolated, or lacking in companionship. It is not just about being physically alone, but rather experiencing a painful gap between the social connections a person wants and the ones they actually have.

“Loneliness was already highly prevalent among U.S. veterans in 2019–2020, but the demographic composition of the veteran population and broader social environment have changed since then, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pietrzak told PsyPost. “We wanted to provide updated national estimates of the prevalence of loneliness and determine whether it is independently associated with psychiatric disorders and suicide-related outcomes after accounting for a broad range of sociodemographic, military, trauma, health, and social factors.”

Data from 2019 and 2020 showed that more than half of U.S. veterans experienced at least moderate loneliness, with nearly one in five feeling lonely on a frequent basis. Since then, the social landscape has shifted considerably. The researchers noted that the veteran population has been changing, with an increasing proportion of younger, female, and racially diverse individuals transitioning out of the military. This demographic shift is an important detail, as a study covered by PsyPost in 2015 found that younger generations of military personnel tend to experience lower levels of social integration, making them more vulnerable to mental health struggles and suicide.

In addition to these demographic changes, the lingering social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and broader societal stressors may have worsened feelings of isolation. Because loneliness often co-occurs with serious mental health conditions, the researchers wanted to explore exactly how current levels of loneliness correspond to specific psychiatric burdens. For instance, research covered by PsyPost in 2018 highlighted that veterans battling both post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and depression face an exceptionally high risk of suicidal thoughts. Pietrzak and his team sought to determine if loneliness was acting as a similar, widespread risk factor that spans multiple psychiatric conditions.

To investigate these trends, the researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. This nationally representative survey gathered responses from 2,612 U.S. veterans between December 2025 and January 2026. The participants were drawn from a large, probability-based panel designed to reflect the broader U.S. household population. By weighting the data, the researchers ensured their findings could be generalized to the entire population of living U.S. veterans.

The survey measured loneliness using a standard three-item questionnaire. Participants were asked how often they felt left out, how often they felt isolated from others, and how often they felt they lacked companionship. Based on their responses, the veterans were placed into one of three categories: hardly ever lonely, moderate loneliness, or frequent loneliness. The researchers also collected data on a variety of mental health indicators, including symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, alcohol and drug use disorders, and various measures of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The results indicated that loneliness is highly prevalent among veterans. Overall, 58.7% of the respondents reported experiencing at least moderate loneliness. When broken down further, 36.3% fell into the moderate loneliness category, while 22.4% reported frequent loneliness. When compared to the estimates from 2019 and 2020, the prevalence of moderate loneliness remained relatively stable. However, the rate of frequent loneliness increased from 19.7% to 22.4%. The researchers estimate that this percentage increase translates to roughly 460,000 additional veterans experiencing frequent loneliness across the country.

“Loneliness is not simply an unpleasant feeling—it is a major public health concern,” Pietrzak explained. “Prior work has found that chronic loneliness is associated with an increased risk of premature mortality comparable to the risk associated with smoking as many as 15 cigarettes per day.”

The study also provides evidence of a strong relationship between the severity of loneliness and mental health struggles. Veterans in the moderate loneliness group had notably higher odds of meeting the screening criteria for depression, anxiety, PTSD, hazardous alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts over the past year, compared to those who were hardly ever lonely.

For veterans experiencing frequent loneliness, the psychiatric burden was even heavier. Compared to the hardly ever lonely group, frequently lonely veterans were much more likely to screen positive for six of the eight mental health measures assessed, excluding only drug use disorders and lifetime suicide attempts. The differences were stark when looking at suicidal ideation. Only 3.8% of veterans who were hardly ever lonely reported having suicidal thoughts in the past year. That figure jumped to 14.8% for moderately lonely veterans, and soared to 32.3% for those experiencing frequent loneliness.

When the researchers compared the frequently lonely group directly to the moderately lonely group, the risks were still elevated. Frequently lonely veterans showed much higher odds of facing almost all the measured mental health challenges, with particularly high associations for depression and future suicidal intent. These associations held up even after the researchers accounted for other potential influencing factors, such as age, sex, income, combat experience, physical health conditions, and history of childhood trauma.

“The magnitude of the associations among frequently lonely veterans was particularly striking,” Pietrzak noted. “Even after extensive adjustment for sociodemographic, military, trauma, health, and social factors, frequently lonely veterans had 32 times the odds of screening positive for depression compared with veterans who were hardly ever lonely; they also had substantially greater odds of having attempted suicide relative to less lonely veterans.”

As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. The study relied on self-reported survey data, which means the results depend on the participants’ willingness and ability to accurately describe their feelings and symptoms. Additionally, the researchers used a cross-sectional design, capturing a snapshot of the veterans’ experiences at a single point in time. Because of this, the study cannot determine the direction of the relationship between loneliness and mental health.

“Because the study was cross-sectional, it cannot establish that loneliness causes psychiatric disorders or suicidality; these associations are likely bidirectional and mutually reinforcing,” Pietrzak explained. “The findings also should not be interpreted to mean that every lonely veteran has a mental disorder or is suicidal, but rather that loneliness may be an important marker of elevated vulnerability that warrants further assessment and support.”

There is also a possibility that by statistically adjusting for certain psychiatric conditions, the researchers might have understated the direct relationship between loneliness and suicide-related outcomes. Despite these limitations, the findings indicate that loneliness is a growing issue that requires ongoing attention from mental health professionals.

“An important next step is to use longitudinal data to clarify how loneliness and mental health measures influence one another over time and to identify veterans at greatest risk for persistent or worsening loneliness,” Pietrzak told PsyPost.

The researchers suggest that loneliness represents a key target for future prevention and treatment efforts. Because social isolation is something that can be modified, initiatives like peer support programs, community engagement activities, and social prescribing, where healthcare providers connect patients with community groups and social activities, could play a major role in improving veteran well-being. By focusing on helping veterans build stronger social connections, health systems might be able to reduce the broader psychiatric burden and lower the risk of suicide.

“Loneliness is modifiable, which makes these findings concerning but also actionable,” Pietrzak said. “Routine assessment of loneliness, followed by efforts to connect veterans with appropriate clinical, peer, and community resources, may provide an additional avenue for improving mental health and strengthening suicide-prevention efforts.”

The study, “A Growing Epidemic of Loneliness Among US Military Veterans: National Trends, Psychiatric Burden, and Suicide Risk,” was authored by Robert H. Pietrzak, Ian C. Fischer, and Peter J. Na.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/rising-loneliness-among-us-veterans-is-closely-tied-to-psychiatric-burden-and-suicide-risk/

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Tsuchiya-San’s world shattered when she lost her husband, and soon after, her son. Grief and #loneliness engulfed her. Then she began visiting a community salon and life took a turn for the better. She felt heard and cared for.
The power of #SocialConnection.

Loneliness In Remote Workers Is Rising Here’s How To Combat Isolation When Working From Home

https://onlinemarketingscoops.com/2026/06/11/loneliness-in-remote-workers/

I love this article. In my suburb of #Adelaide, I acknowledge everyone, perhaps crossing the socially acceptable line discussed. In the nearby park chatting is permitted especially at the footbridge over the river where we are channeled to close proximity. The dog walkers actually gather and chat as a group and I look on in envy. We even have someone who walks with a parrot on their shoulder…

#SocialConnection #Polite #Säghej #SayHi #TalkingToNeighbours

https://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2023/nov/26/move-over-sweden-heres-my-essential-guide-to-greeting-strangers