A study from Howard University has documented the severe health toll of loneliness while uncovering surprising patterns of resilience among Black and Hispanic adults, findings that could reshape how public health officials address what researchers are calling a “silent public health crisis.”
The study’s findings are sobering: individuals who reported “always” feeling lonely were five times more likely to experience clinical depression compared to those who never felt lonely. Over half of chronically lonely participants screened positive for depression, and they reported an average of 11 additional mentally unhealthy days per month and five more physically unhealthy days.
“The magnitude was unexpected,” said Akinyemi, a senior research fellow whose background spans obstetrics-gynecology in Nigeria and health services research in the United States. “Over 50% of those who always feel lonely screened positive for depression.”
However, the study revealed a striking pattern. Despite experiencing similar levels of loneliness, Black and Hispanic participants consistently reported fewer depression symptoms compared to their white counterparts across all loneliness categories. Among those who always felt lonely, Black individuals had a 25.6 percentage point lower risk of depression and Hispanic individuals had a 14.3 percentage point lower risk compared to white individuals.
“Loneliness is undeniably damaging, but we were struck by the resilience we observed among minority communities,” Akinyemi said. “It points to cultural strengths and social ties that may help protect mental health, even when people feel disconnected.”
Akinyemi’s interest in studying loneliness stems partly from his own experience adapting to American culture after moving from Nigeria, where he was trained as an obstetrician-gynecologist before pursuing graduate degrees in public health and health services research at the University of Maryland.
“In Nigeria, your neighbor is part of your life, often like family. In America, your neighbor can feel like a stranger,” he said. “That disconnect was shocking to me at first. It made me think about how the structure of society itself can create or reduce loneliness.”
The study adds to mounting evidence that loneliness has become a global health emergency. A recent World Health Organization report warns that loneliness kills roughly 100 people every hour—more than 871,000 annually—making it comparable to smoking and obesity as a mortality risk factor.
The Howard study found that over 80% of participants reported some degree of loneliness, with younger adults, those with lower education levels, and unemployed individuals experiencing the highest rates.
Study co-author Dr. Temitope Ogundare, a psychiatrist and clinical instructor at Boston University, pointed to the clinical significance of the findings.
“This study tells us that loneliness should be treated as a clinical risk factor, just like high blood pressure or smoking,” she said. “It’s time for health systems to screen for social isolation and respond with prevention strategies, such as social prescribing and community-building programs.”
Source link