The role of loneliness in mediating the relationship between financial strain and mental health: Exploring gender differences in a UK longitudinal study

IF 3.9 3区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Public Health Pub Date : 2025-03-31 DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2025.03.008

Lei Chai , Senhu Wang , Zhuofei Lu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

This study explores the association between financial strain and loneliness over time, investigates loneliness as a mediator in the relationship between financial strain and mental health, and examines the influence of gender.

Study design

Longitudinal study.

Methods

Using data from six waves (2017–2023) of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), which includes 34,535 participants (154,316 person-years), this study employs fixed-effects regression models.

Results

Financial strain is significantly associated with increased loneliness over time (b = .155, p < .001). Loneliness partially mediates the relationship between financial strain and mental health, accounting for approximately 15 % of the effect. Notably, the relationship between loneliness and mental health is moderated by gender (b = .120, p < .001), with women experiencing more severe negative effects.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that alleviating financial strain could reduce loneliness and its detrimental effects on mental health. Addressing financial and social stressors is essential for public health strategies. Implementing gender-sensitive approaches is critical for addressing specific vulnerabilities, particularly among women.

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孤独在经济压力和心理健康之间的中介作用：在英国纵向研究中探索性别差异

目的探讨财务压力与孤独感之间的关系，探讨孤独感在财务压力与心理健康之间的中介作用，并考察性别的影响。研究设计：纵向研究。方法利用英国家庭纵向研究（UKHLS）的六波（2017-2023）数据，其中包括34,535名参与者（154,316人年），本研究采用固定效应回归模型。结果财务压力与孤独感随时间增加显著相关(b = .155, p <；措施)。孤独部分地调节了财务压力和心理健康之间的关系，约占15%的影响。值得注意的是，孤独感与心理健康之间的关系受性别的影响(b = .120, p <；.001)，女性的负面影响更严重。结论减轻财务压力可以减少孤独感及其对心理健康的不利影响。处理财政和社会压力因素对公共卫生战略至关重要。执行对性别问题敏感的办法对于解决具体的脆弱性，特别是妇女的脆弱性至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Health 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

280

审稿时长

37 days

期刊介绍： Public Health is an international, multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal. It publishes original papers, reviews and short reports on all aspects of the science, philosophy, and practice of public health.