Loneliness, Social Connection, and Quality of Life: A Complex Network and Ecological Momentary Assessment Analysis

As clinical psychological science begins to transition away from the DSM towards more process oriented models of care, methods and investigation strategies are needed that rise to the challenge. Social connection and loneliness remain relevant investigation topics in the literature with clear clinical implications, as well as renewed interest in an era of social distancing, rampant technology use, and ongoing societal change. The dynamic nature of loneliness and interpersonal functioning make them excellent objects of study for longitudinal research. A total of 39 adults each completed twice daily micro surveys over a span of 35 days. Items included questions about loneliness, exercise, alcohol consumption, social and emotional behaviors, and interpersonal functioning, including a set of items based on the Functional Idiographic Assessment Template (FIAT-M). Data were analyzed using the S-GIMME algorithm in order to simultaneously examine relationships between items at the group, subgroup, and individual level, with an eye towards predicting quality of life. Results show that S-GIMME identified individual models for the vast majority of participants and identified multiple subgroups per model. Network elements were more pivotal than demographics in comprising nodes, underscoring the importance of examining interpersonal functioning and psychological health in an idiographic, high density data strategy. Items related to emotional expression and experience of emotion were particularly strong across networks, consilient with other literature that interpersonal emotion regulation plays an important role in daily life. The FIAT-M items functioned in predictable sequences and may be useful for future longitudinal research on interpersonal functioning.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctorate Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Stanton, Cory

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Follette, William C.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hayes, Steven C.
• Hughes-Lansing, Amy
• Papa, Anthony
• Ciarrochi, Joseph
• Kohlenberg, Barbara S.

• complex network analysis
• ecological momentary assessment
• GIMME
• loneliness

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/8532

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/8532