Loneliness and self-rated health among church-attending African Americans

Objectives: To explore relations between loneliness and self-rated health among African-American adults of diverse ages. Methods: Associations between loneliness and self-rated health were investigated using covariate-adjusted linear regression models. Perceived social support was examined as a moderator. The potential indirect effects of stress and/or depressive symptoms were examined using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures. Results: Greater loneliness was associated with poorer self-rated health (p = .008), and social support did not moderate. Stress and depressive symptoms yielded significant indirect effects in single and multiple mediator models (p values ≤ 05). Conclusions: Loneliness may contribute to poorer health among African Americans. Results suggest that greater stress and depressive symptoms might underlie these associations, but longitudinal studies are needed to assess causal relations.