A network analysis of rumination on loneliness and the relationship with depression

Previous literature has suggested a significant association between loneliness and depression. Importantly, research has shown that rumination can modulate the loneliness-depression relationship. However, most studies only treated loneliness, rumination or depression as unitary constructs. Considering the heterogeneity of the three concepts, we examined the relationship between specific loneliness, rumination items and depressive symptoms using the network analysis approach. In a large community adult sample (N = 900), we constructed the loneliness-depression and loneliness-rumination-depression network using a cross-sectional design. The results suggested that loneliness has no robust association with depressive symptoms. Instead, a connection between a specific ruminative thought ('think about how alone you are') and a specific loneliness item ('how often do you feel alone') is essential in maintaining the loneliness-rumination-depression network (partial r = 0.307). Our findings indicate that ruminating on the feeling of loneliness is the key underlying factor modulating the loneliness-depression relationship. Interventions for depression should focus on ameliorating ruminative thoughts, especially on loneliness feelings.