Feelings Of Social Disconnection Research Articles

Germ-Free Robotic Friends: Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic Enhanced the Willingness to Self-Disclose towards Robots

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people felt lonely. Social robots may serve to alleviate such feelings of social disconnection. Prior research pointed out that lonely or socially excluded individuals were particularly willing to interact with social robots, because they tend to anthropomorphize robots. Such anthropomorphization may facilitate deeming robots suitable as social interaction partners. To extend existing research on the role of social robots for lonely people, we examined the effect of inclusionary status (i.e., inclusion vs. exclusion vs. control) on mind perception, perceived warmth, and participants’ willingness to self-disclose towards a social robot. We hypothesized that social exclusion would increase mind perception, perceived warmth, and participants’ willingness to self-disclose towards a social robot. Above and beyond, we assessed self-reported loneliness during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas inclusionary status had no effect on the dependent variables, correlational analyses revealed that the more COVID-19-induced loneliness participants experienced, the more they were willing to self-disclose towards a robot. Likewise, these individuals attributed more mind agency to the robot and reported to look forward to a conversation with the robot. Summing up, people who experience situational loneliness may be particularly prone to accept social robots as social interaction partners.

Should We Be Worried about Smartphone Addiction? An Examination of Canadian Adolescents' Feelings of Social Disconnection in the Time of COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 global pandemic limited face-to-face social contact, mental health concerns increased for adolescents. Additionally, many adolescents turned to technology to communicate with their peers, which also raised concerns about adolescent smartphone addiction. However, research has yet to examine how mental health and technology engagement are related to adolescents’ feelings of social connection—an important developmental predictor of wellbeing across the lifespan. Specifically, little is known regarding the relative risk of adolescents’ mental health concerns, a known risk factor for social disconnection and isolation and smartphone addiction in contributing to feelings of social disconnection in the time of COVID-19. The present study investigated how mental health outcomes and smartphone addiction contributed to Canadian adolescents’ (n = 1753) feelings of social disconnection during COVID-19. Between October 2020 and May 2021, data were collected from five secondary schools in and around the lower mainland of British Columbia using an online-administered self-report questionnaire. Adolescents responded to questions about their smartphone addiction, internalizing problems, and an open-ended question about their feelings of connection to others. Findings from logistic regression analyses indicated that depression was a predictor of feeling socially disconnected: however, smartphone addiction was not associated with feelings of social disconnection during COVID-19. Implications of these findings can help inform the development of prevention programs targeting adolescents at risk for social disconnection in times of increased social isolation (e.g., a global pandemic). Specifically, these findings suggest that adolescents higher in depressive symptoms, and not those higher in smartphone addiction, are the ones most at risk.

Interleukin-8 and depressive responses to an inflammatory challenge: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Emerging evidence suggests that interleukin (IL)-8 has a protective role in the context of depression. Higher levels of IL-8 are associated with lower depressive symptom severity among depressed patients, and treatment-related increases in IL-8 correlate with a positive response in depressed patients. This study (a secondary analysis of a completed randomized controlled trial) aimed to examine whether higher levels of IL-8 mitigate increases in depressed mood in response to an experimental model of inflammation induced depression. Given epidemiologic relationships identified between IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, and subsequent depression, levels of these pro-inflammatory cytokines were also explored as potential moderators of depressed mood response to endotoxin. Secondary analyses were completed on data from healthy adults (n = 114) who completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial in which participants were randomly assigned to receive either a single infusion of low-dose endotoxin (derived from Escherichia coli; 0.8 ng/kg of body weight) or placebo (same volume of 0.9% saline). IL-8, as well as IL-6 and TNF- α, were measured at baseline prior to infusion, and depressed mood and feelings of social disconnection were assessed approximately hourly. Baseline levels of IL-8, but not IL-6 or TNF-α, moderated depressed mood (β = − 0.274, p = .03) and feelings of social disconnection (β = − 0.307, p = .01) responses, such that higher baseline IL-8 was associated with less increase in depressed mood and feelings of social disconnection in the endotoxin, but not placebo, condition. IL-8 had threshold effects, in which highest quartile IL-8 (≥ 2.7 pg/mL) attenuated increases in depressed mood in response to endotoxin as compared to lower IL-8 quartiles (p = .02). These findings suggest that IL-8 may be a biological factor that mitigates risk of inflammation-associated depression.Clinical trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01671150, registration date 23/08/2012.

Disconnected Out of Passion: Relationship Between Social Alienation and Obsessive Passion.

Violent radicalization continues to be a global problem. One of the main proposals for understanding radicalization and support for political violence is based on social alienation as a trigger. That is, individuals who feel alienated from society try to get out of this situation by using violence, if necessary. However, social alienation alone is not enough to explain radicalization. Therefore, we propose that social alienation interacts with other factors to foster radicalization. Particularly, we propose that obsessive passion, an internal compulsion that leads a person to engage in an activity even when they should not, is one of the interacting factors. Following previous literature, we hypothesized that higher social alienation predicts support for political violence to a greater extent the higher the obsessive passion. To test this hypothesis, we performed two studies in which the cause of passion varied (religion: N = 652 and family: N = 873). Both studies assessed social alienation, harmonious and obsessive passion, and support for political violence. The results showed a significant increase in the effect of social alienation on support for political violence when obsessive passion was higher, even controlling by harmonious passion. These results highlight the importance of considering other variables related to social alienation that could facilitate radicalization processes, particularly maintaining an obsessive passion for a cause when one feels a social disconnection. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed given their contributions to prevention based on work on feelings of social disconnection and harmonization of causes.

Loneliness, sadness, and feelings of social disconnection in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public health measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic have led to feelings of loneliness among older adults, which, prior to COVID, has been associated with subsequent morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify differences in feelings of loneliness, sadness, and social disconnection early in the pandemic across racial groups, and possible mitigating factors. We performed a cross-sectional analysis using the weighted nationally-representative Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey COVID-19 supplement, collected summer 2020. We included all Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older who did not respond by proxy. We examined changes in loneliness, sadness, or feelings of social disconnection. Multivariable logistic regression models accounted for sociodemographic variables, access to primary care and the internet, and history of depression or dementia. Among 8125 beneficiaries, representative of 43.7 million Medicare beneficiaries, 22.6% reported loneliness or sadness, and 37.1% feeling socially disconnected. In fully-adjusted models, Hispanic/Latinx beneficiaries were most likely to report loneliness or sadness (OR=1.3, CI: 1.02-1.65; p=0.02) and Black beneficiaries were least likely to report feeling socially disconnected (OR=0.55; CI: 0.42-0.73; p < 0.001). Internet access was associated with increased odds of both (OR=1.29, 95 CI: 1.07-1.56; p=0.009; and OR=1.42, 95 CI: 1.24-1.63; p < 0.001, respectively). Access to primary care was associated with lower odds of both (OR=0.77, 95 CI: 0.61-0.96; p=0.02; and OR=0.72, 95 CI: 0.61-0.87; p < 0.001). Loneliness, sadness, and feelings of social disconnection were common among older Medicare beneficiaries early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences by race/ethnicity may be driven by different living structures and social networks, and warrant further study. Policy makers and clinicians should consider facilitating connection by phone or in person, as internet access did not diminish feelings of loneliness, particularly for those living alone. Access to primary care, and tools for clinicians to address loneliness should be prioritized.

“Mom, dad, look at me”: The development of the Parental Phubbing Scale

The widespread diffusion of smartphones has opened new challenges regarding the psychological consequences of their usage on social relationships. The term phubbing (a combination of phone and snubbing) indicates the act of ignoring someone in a social context by paying attention to the smartphone. The few existing studies show that phubbing is widespread, mutually reinforced, and socially accepted, with possible negative consequences for social and individual well-being. Phubbing can occur in every social context, including romantic relationships, workplaces, and family. However, to date, minimal attention has been given to the possible impact that phubbing carried out by parents can have on their children. To start filling this gap, in this paper, we introduced a new scale that measures the perception of being subject to parental phubbing and showed the prevalence of perceived phubbing on a stratified sample of 3,289 adolescents. Firstly, the dimensionality, validity, and invariance of the construct were proven. Moreover, our results showed a positive relationship between children’s perceived levels of parental phubbing and their feelings of social disconnection with parents, thus suggesting that the more children felt that one or both of their parents were phubbing them, the less the children felt connected with their parents.

Exploring a sense of belonging for some Forgotten Australians as they age

ABSTRACT In Australia many children were negatively affected by past institutional child care regimes. In this qualitative research, the authors consider the long-term impacts that such care has had on a small sample of one particular population in relation to their sense of belonging as they age. This population is known as Forgotten Australians and refers to people who lived in this type of care as children prior to deinstitutionalisation in 1974. The findings presented are from the lead author’s 2016 Ph.D study that explored participants’ narrated experiences, utilising hermeneutic phenomenology as the methodology. Interviews were conducted with 21 participants residing in all states and territories of Australia. Key themes that emerged from the data were feelings of social disconnection; the need to construct safe places; and a desire to belong. A major finding is that many participants continue to experience the harmful legacy of their childhoods, manifesting as difficulties integrating into social life despite leaving institutional care 40 or more years ago. The key implications for this cohort as they age are discussed and recommendations are made.

Within-subject associations between inflammation and features of depression: Using the flu vaccine as a mild inflammatory stimulus

BackgroundInflammation plays a role in mood and behavior that may be relevant to identifying risk factors and treatment for depression and other stress-related illnesses. The purpose of this study was to examine whether fluctuations in inflammation following a mild immune stimulus were associated with changes in daily reported features of depression for up to a week in a healthy sample of young adults. MethodsForty-one undergraduate students completed daily diaries of mood, feelings of social disconnection, sleep, and physical symptoms for one week before and after receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine. Circulating plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured via blood samples taken immediately before and one day after vaccination. ResultsThere was a significant increase in circulating IL-6 from pre- to post-intervention (p = .008), and there was significant variability in the magnitude of IL-6 change. Greater increases in IL-6 were associated with greater mood disturbance on post-vaccine days, specifically depressed mood and cognitive symptoms. ConclusionsMinor increases in inflammation were associated with corresponding increases in features of depression, and these associations occurred in the absence of any physical symptoms. The influenza vaccine could be used to probe causal relationships with a high degree of ecological validity, even in high-risk and vulnerable populations, to better understand the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of depression.

Compassionate goals as a buffer against inflammation-associated social disconnection: A study in romantically involved couples

In animal models, acute inflammation can trigger social withdrawal and in humans it can trigger feelings of social disconnection. In humans, there may be psychological factors that protect against these effects such as compassionate goals, which reflect an intention to be supportive and hence approach relationship partners. In the present study, romantically involved couples completed measures of their compassionate goals as well as their perceived closeness with their partner at 2 time points (Time 1: n = 70 couples; Time 2:2 months later, 60 couples returned). As a marker of inflammation, C-Reactive Protein (CRP) was measured at each time point in dried blood spots. Participant’s CRP interacted with their compassionate goals to predict their partner’s baseline perception of closeness within the relationship at the first time point. This same interaction was replicated at the two-month follow-up. The effects held when controlling for the participant’s BMI, recent illness, and sex. These interactions suggest a person’s compassionate goals have a protective effect on their partner’s perception of closeness. Thus, people perceive partners with high CRP and high compassionate goals as closer than partners with high CRP and low compassionate goals. Taken together, these findings suggest that compassionate goals can buffer against negative effects of inflammation on closeness within a romantic relationship.

Sex Differences in Depressive and Socioemotional Responses to an Inflammatory Challenge: Implications for Sex Differences in Depression

Substantial evidence demonstrates that inflammatory processes may underlie depression for a subset of patients, including work showing that healthy subjects exposed to an inflammatory challenge show increases in depressed mood and feelings of social disconnection. However, despite the fact that depression is two times as likely to occur in females than males, the vast majority of this work has been carried out in males. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether females (vs males) would show greater increases in proinflammatory cytokines, depressed mood, and social disconnection in response to an inflammatory challenge. One hundred and fifteen healthy participants (69 female) completed this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in which participants were randomly assigned to receive either a single infusion of low-dose endotoxin (derived from Escherichia coli; 0.8 ng/kg of body weight) or placebo (same volume of 0.9% saline). Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), depressed mood, and feelings of social disconnection were assessed hourly. Results showed that endotoxin (vs placebo) led to increases in proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), depressed mood, and feelings of social disconnection. Females exposed to endotoxin showed greater increases in depressed mood and feelings of social disconnection. Furthermore, increases in TNF-α and IL-6 were correlated with increases in social disconnection for females but not for males. These sex differences in the relationships between inflammatory and socioemotional responses to an inflammatory challenge may be particularly important for understanding why females are two times as likely as males to develop depressive disorders.

Social connectedness across the psychosis spectrum: current issues and future directions for interventions in loneliness.

Loneliness, sometimes referred to as “perceived social isolation,” is defined as a subjective experience of social isolation. Loneliness has been shown to be related more to the quality of social relationships than to the quantity, and is typically characterized by feelings of social disconnection (e.g., being misunderstood by others). It occurs when there is a discrepancy between desired and actual amounts of social interaction. Humans are a social species and have a fundamental need to belong. Feelings of loneliness have been perceived to be early warning signals of potential threats to psychological health (akin to physical pain in physical health problems). Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of various health conditions (e.g., increased inflammation, decreased immunity) and can occur in transient and chronic forms across the lifespan. In the last few decades, there has been an increase in scientific studies in loneliness and much of this research stemmed from a social neuroscience approach (see work by Cacioppo). The onset of loneliness is thought to motivate an individual to seek connectedness with others; however, symptoms of mental illness often involve withdrawal from the social world. A growing interest in the relationship between loneliness and mental health disorders is therefore not surprising and was first identified as an important relationship in the late 1950s. Psychoanalyst Frieda Fromm-Reichmann highlighted the devastating impact of loneliness on patients with schizophrenia. In more recent times, researchers have used a neuroscience approach to further clarify the relationship between social withdrawal/isolation and positive symptoms of psychosis (see Hoffman’s social deafferentation hypothesis). The psychological consequences of loneliness, however, remain under examined by researchers. It is plausible, but remains unclear, that loneliness is a transdiagnostic factor across different mental disorders that raises the risk of mental health problems, increases the severity of symptoms, maintains diagnostic status, or all of the above. Loneliness is associated with various mental disorders, including depression, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (1), and most of the research on loneliness and mental health has focused on its relationship with depression (2). To date, there has been no published study that has developed an evidence-based loneliness intervention in individuals with psychosis. A meta-analytic review of interventions aimed at reducing loneliness in a range of different populations surprisingly included only five studies with individuals with mental health symptoms, and none of the studies were specific to psychosis (3). There is, however, emerging research that highlights the deleterious effects of loneliness in individuals with psychotic disorders. In the second Australian national survey of psychosis (N = 1825), 80.1% of adults aged between 18 and 34 years, diagnosed with a psychotic disorder endorsed perceived loneliness; 37.2% of these adults identified loneliness as a barrier to recovery (4). While many psychosocial interventions are aimed at introducing new social supports (e.g., befriending) or providing social skills training (SST) for people with psychotic disorders, there has been no known study that specifically targets loneliness.