Loneliness, Discrimination, Stress, and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Young Adults

Abstract

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to determine the associations between type 2 diabetes (T2D) or prediabetes and loneliness and related social experiences in young adults, a population at increasingly high risk of T2D. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional analysis using data from adults ages 18-35 enrolled in the All of Us Research Program. Exposures included loneliness, social support, discrimination, neighborhood social cohesion, and stress, measured by standardized surveys. The main outcome was T2D or prediabetes by self-report or linked health record. Logistic regression determined odds of T2D/prediabetes for each survey measure, adjusting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, income, and family history. Latent class analysis (LCA) evaluated clustering of social experiences. Data was collected from 2018-2022 and analyzed May 2023-June 2024. ResultsThe cohort included 14,217 young adults (28.2 ± 4.4 years; 70.3% (n=9,792) women; 64.1% (n=9,111) White, 10.6% (n=1,506) Hispanic, 5.7% (n=806) Black, 9.1% (n=1,299) multiracial). Overall, 5.5% (n=777) had either prediabetes or T2D. The two highest loneliness quartiles were associated with increased odds of prediabetes/T2D (Q3: OR 1.42 [95% CI 1.15-1.76]; Q4: 1.75 [95% CI 1.43-2.16]). Greater stress and discrimination and lower social support and neighborhood social cohesion were also associated with increased odds of prediabetes/T2D. LCA revealed three distinct phenotypes, with elevated odds of prediabetes/T2D in the two with the most adverse social profiles (OR 2.32 [95% CI 1.89-2.84] and OR 1.28 [95% CI 1.04-1.58]). ConclusionsLoneliness and related experiences are strongly associated with T2D and prediabetes in young adults. Whether these factors could be leveraged to reduce T2D risk should be investigated.