Depressive symptoms, loneliness and social support in healthcare employees: does the source of support matter?

Abstract

Purpose Depressive symptoms are a risk factor for loneliness, while sources of perceived social support from family and friends are protective factors; however, the complex mechanisms behind these factors have not been examined among health-care employees in Portugal. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the indirect effect of perceived social support from family and friends on the association between depressive symptoms and loneliness. Design/methodology/approach Health-care employees (n = 279; 242 female and 37 male) from 12 health-care institutions in Portugal participated in this cross-sectional study. The SPSS program with PROCESS macro (Model 6) was used to test the hypothesis regarding the indirect effect analysis. Findings Bootstrap analysis found that family as a source of social support had an indirect effect in the relationship between depressive symptoms and loneliness. Similarly, depressive symptoms had a significant indirect effect on loneliness through the indirect role of social support from friends. Moreover, it was found that the relationship of family and friends as sources of social support mediated the association of the aforementioned variables. Originality/value The findings of this study underscore the important role of depressive symptoms on perceived social support from family and friends, leading to loneliness, which is a public health concern among health-care employees in Portugal.