Social relationship dimensions and network links to loneliness and depression in midlife and older adulthood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11469853 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chaerim Park (0000-0001-9096-4230, Jeonbuk National University), Huiyoung Shin (0000-0001-6091-7812, Jeonbuk National University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1494-1522 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02654075251411475 |
| OpenAlex | W7116691147 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 80 |
Depression and loneliness are major threats to health in midlife and older adulthood, carrying substantial mental and physical consequences. Although they frequently co-occur, they are conceptually distinct: depression reflects a broader pattern of psychological distress, whereas loneliness captures the subjective perception of social disconnection. Few studies have simultaneously examined multiple relational dimensions in relation to these outcomes, particularly in non-Western contexts. This study applied network analysis to investigate how diverse features of social relationships—including network size, contact frequency, social engagement, perceived support and strain, and relationship quality—relate to loneliness and depression in South Korean adults aged 40–69 years ( N = 502, M = 54.4; 49.4% male). The network revealed that loneliness was most strongly linked to friend network size, marital quality, and friendship quality and was positively associated with friend and spousal strain. Depression was directly connected to loneliness and marital quality, while indirectly shaped by broader relational features, including friend network size and dynamics within friendships and marriages. Centrality analyses highlighted the pivotal role of emotionally meaningful ties—particularly with spouses and friends—in shaping these outcomes. Gender-stratified networks further showed that women’s outcomes were more closely tied to the quality of close relationships, whereas men’s were more strongly linked to broader social participation. Together, these findings underscore the interdependent and multidimensional nature of social relationships in midlife and older adulthood, extend evidence to a non-Western context, and suggest that strengthening intimate ties and opportunities for meaningful engagement may help reduce loneliness and depression
Centrality · Depression (economics · Friendship · Interpersonal relationship · Loneliness · Mental health · Perception · Social network (sociolinguistics · Social support · Art Therapy and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Mental Health Research Topics
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Comparing network structures on three aspects
What do centrality measures measure in psychological networks?
Heterogeneity in the Social Networks of Young and Older Adults
Social and emotional patterns in adulthood
Relational regulation theory
The association between loneliness and depressive symptoms among adults aged 50 years and older
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Can network analysis transform psychopathology?
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Mental disorders as networks of problems
The association between social relationships and depression
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A network theory of mental disorders
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The Influence of a Sense of Time on Human Development
Social Network Type and Subjective Well-being in a National Sample of Older Americans
Construct Validity of the Need to Belong Scale
Gender (mis)measurement
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The CES-D Scale
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Marital quality and health
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Marriage and Family in East Asia
Family Matters
Marital Quality and Personal Well-Being
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |