Loneliness and poor health within families

This study was designed to determine whether loneliness clusters in families and if so, whether loneliness is associated with poor health in family members. Participants in the study were 456 individuals from 169 different family units who completed measures of loneliness, self-reported general health, self-reported physical symptoms, and structural support from family and friends. Results indicated that family membership explained significant variance in loneliness. Loneliness was associated with lower self-reported general health and more self-reported physical symptoms. Loneliness and physical symptoms were significantly associated for parents and grandparents, but not for young adults and their siblings. Finally, available structural support from family and friends were both negatively associated with loneliness and this relationship was uniform among all types of family members.