The relationships between loneliness and mental and physical health are moderated by the tendency for interpersonal victimhood: A study of young adult cancer patients

Abstract

Objectives To assess whether loneliness is inversely related to young adult cancer patients’ subjective reports of mental and physical health, and to explore whether such inverse relationships are moderated by young adult cancer patients’ tendency for interpersonal victimhood. Methods Young adult cancer patients (N = 140) ranging in age from 19–39 years completed two questionnaires distributed three months apart. Patients reported loneliness, their tendency for interpersonal victimhood, and mental and physical health. Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, which tests for main effects and moderation effects. Findings Loneliness was inversely related to mental health, but there was no main effect of loneliness on physical health. Tendency for interpersonal victimhood significantly moderated the relationships between loneliness and both mental and physical health, such that a greater tendency for interpersonal victimhood strengthened the inverse relationships between loneliness and both mental and physical health. Conclusion Loneliness continues to be an important predictor of mental health for young adult cancer patients, and this relationship is strengthened when a patient has a greater tendency for interpersonal victimhood. Health care providers, family members, and other supporters should monitor the quantity and quality of patients’ relationships with others and also facilitate conversations that can address aspects of the tendency for interpersonal victimhood, such as rumination or the need for recognition.