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Loneliness in schizophrenia: Construct clarification, measurement, and clinical relevance.

ABSTRACT: Loneliness is a highly prevalent experience in schizophrenia. Theoretical models developed in the general population propose that loneliness is tantamount to a feeling of being unsafe, is accompanied by enhanced environmental threat perception, and leads to poor physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Previous research has reported that loneliness is associated with poorer physical and emotional health in schizophrenia; however, few studies have directly compared loneliness and its correlates in persons with schizophrenia and non-psychiatric comparison subjects. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate similarities and differences in the construct of loneliness, the equivalency of the measurement of this construct, and similarities and differences in the pattern of external correlates of loneliness between schizophrenia and non-psychiatric comparison groups. The third version of the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3) was administered to 116 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 106 non-psychiatric comparison subjects. Additional clinical and positive psychological measures were collected, as well as demographic characteristics of the two groups. Multiple groups confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the UCLA-3 was best characterized by a bifactor model in which all items loaded on a general loneliness dimension as well as one of two orthogonal method factors reflecting item wording in both groups. Furthermore, the UCLA-3 exhibited invariant measurement of these latent constructs across groups. Mean levels of loneliness were nearly a standard deviation higher in the schizophrenia group. Nonetheless, the overall pattern and strength of correlates were largely similar across groups, with loneliness being positively associated with depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, and negatively correlated with mental well-being, happiness, and resilience. Subtle differences in correlates of age, optimism, and satisfaction with life were found. Overall, loneliness appears to be distinct from other schizophrenia-related deficits and operates similarly across schizophrenia and NC groups, suggesting that theoretical models of loneliness developed in the general population may generalize to schizophrenia.

SUBMITTER: Eglit GML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5863980 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding of the risk conferred by functionally insignificant lesions in multiple coronary vessels is limited. We investigated the prognostic implications of coronary artery disease (CAD) based on 3-vessel fractional flow reserve (FFR).Methods and resultsA total of 1,136 patients underwent FFR measurement in the 3 major epicardial arteries. We defined vessels with "Moderate CAD" as vessels with FFR, 0.81 to 0.87. Patients were classified into Group 1: No apparent CAD (FFR>0.87 in all 3-vessels); Group 2: Single-vessel moderate CAD; Group 3: Multivessel moderate CAD; and Group 4: Functionally significant CAD (FFR≤0.80) in any vessel. The primary end point was 2-year major adverse cardiac events, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization. Forty-three percent of patients had moderate CAD (Group 2: 403/1136, 35.5%; Group 3: 84/1136, 7.4%). The 2-year risk of major adverse cardiac events was not significantly different between patients with single-vessel moderate CAD and no apparent CAD (2.6 versus 2.6%; HR, 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.4%-2.8%; P=0.89). However, patients with multivessel moderate CAD were at significantly higher risk than Group 1 (7.4 versus 2.6%; hazard ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1%-9.8%; P=0.03). The risk of major adverse cardiac events in patients with multivessel moderate CAD was comparable to that of patients with functionally significant CAD (hazard ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.5%-3.0%; P=0.67). In a multivariable regression model, multivessel moderate CAD was an independent predictor of greater risk of 2-year major adverse cardiac events.ConclusionsGlobal physiologic assessment with FFR measurement of 3 vessels can identify multivessel moderate CAD. The prognostic implication of multivessel moderate CAD appears comparable to that of functionally significant CAD.Clinical trial registrationURL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01621438.

Project description:Loneliness is associated with a myriad of detrimental outcomes in mental and physical health. Previous studies have found that people with schizophrenia report greater loneliness than controls, and that loneliness is related to depressive symptoms. However, research has been limited, particularly regarding contributions of loneliness to social and occupational functioning. Further, few studies have examined associations between loneliness and daily experience in schizophrenia. Thus, we recruited 35 individuals with schizophrenia and 37 controls. All participants completed the UCLA loneliness scale, symptom assessments, and measures of social and occupational functioning. Additionally, participants with schizophrenia completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol that indexed daily social and emotional experiences, including loneliness. Similar to previous reports, we found that those with schizophrenia reported greater loneliness than controls. Further, loneliness was positively associated with depressive and negative symptoms, and negatively associated with self-reported social functioning. Interestingly, loneliness remained a significant predictor of functioning even when controlling for other symptoms, suggesting that severity of depressive and negative symptoms cannot fully explain the relationship between loneliness and functioning. In our EMA analyses, loneliness did not significantly differ when individuals were alone versus with others, underscoring the notion that being alone is not the same as feeling lonely. However, self-reported engagement during social interactions was negatively associated with loneliness, at a trend-level, suggesting that quality of social interactions is a potentially important consideration. Taken together, these findings suggest that loneliness is an important treatment target and provide understanding for how loneliness may manifest in daily life in schizophrenia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

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Loneliness in schizophrenia: Construct clarification, measurement, and clinical relevance.

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