Loneliness, social problem solving, and negative affective symptoms: Negative problem orientation as a key mechanism

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2020-12, Vol.167, p.110235, Article 110235
• Main Authors: Chang, Edward C., Liu, Jiting, Yi, Shangwen, Jiang, Xinying, Li, Qiwei, Wang, Ruoqian, Tian, Weiyi, Gao, Xinyun, Li, Mingqi, Lucas, Abigael G., Chang, Olivia D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Affective symptoms; Anxiety; Depression; Loneliness; Mental depression; Negative problem orientation; Problem solving; Social problem solving; Usefulness
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110235

The goal of this study was to determine if social problem-solving processes, as measured by the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (D'Zurilla, Nezu, & Maydeu-Olivares, 2002), might account for the positive association between loneliness and negative affectively symptoms, namely, anxious and depressive symptoms in a sample of 165 college students. Controlling for gender, we tested a multiple mediation model in which social problem-solving processes were hypothesized to account for the loneliness-negative affective symptoms link. Results of these mediation analyses indicated that negative problem orientation fully mediated the positive association found between loneliness and anxious symptoms. Alternatively, negative problem orientation only partially mediated the positive association found between loneliness and depressive symptoms. These findings indicate that beyond loneliness, it would be useful to consider the role of social problem-solving processes, especially negative problem orientation, in predicting negative affective symptoms. Accordingly, our findings point to the usefulness of interventions that not only target reducing loneliness, but also reducing negative problem orientation in adults, in efforts to thwart the development of negative affective symptoms. •Examined loneliness and social problem solving as predictors of negative affect symptoms.•Found negative problem orientation to fully mediate in predicting anxious symptoms•Found negative problem orientation to partially mediate in predicting depressive symptoms•Negative problem orientation represents a unique problem-solving mechanism by which loneliness is linked to symptoms.