More people all over the world are suffering from loneliness than ever before. Adults who frequently experience loneliness, regardless of race, are more likely to encounter mental and physical health challenges. However, Black and Hispanic adults may be better than White adults at managing their mental health while feeling isolated, according to a new study led by Oluwasegun Akinyemi, a senior research fellow at Howard University’s Clive O. Callendar Outcomes Research Center.
Dr. Akinyemi and his co-authors examined data on more than 47,000 adults in the United States collected through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Overall, adults who reported “always” feeling lonely were five times more likely to experience clinical depression. On average, these individuals lived with an additional 11 mentally unhealthly days and 5 physically unhealthy days per month compared to adults who were not consistently lonely. Although these patterns held true across racial and gender groups, Black and Hispanic participants reported fewer depression symptoms compared to White participants.
“Loneliness is undeniably damaging, but we were struck by the resilience we observed among minority communities,” said Dr. Akinyemi. “It points to cultural strengths and social ties that may help protect mental health, even when people feel disconnected.”
Originally trained as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Nigeria, Dr. Akinyemi holds a master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. in health services research from the University of Maryland. His co-authors include fellow scholars from Howard University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Texas, Eastern Illinois University, and Boston University.
