Academic Journal
The impact of physical multimorbidity on common mental disorders and the role of loneliness and social support: A three-year follow-up study.
| Title: | The impact of physical multimorbidity on common mental disorders and the role of loneliness and social support: A three-year follow-up study. |
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| Authors: | Zhang Z; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain; Traditional Chinese Medicine Data Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China., Domènech-Abella J; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Sociology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: joan.domenech@sjd.es., Rodeiro-Boliart J; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain., Gete-Alejandro I; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain., Ayuso-Mateos JL; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-Princesa), Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain., Miret M; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain., Pérez EL; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-Princesa), Madrid, Spain; Department of Personality, Assessment and Clinical Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain., Godino-Cruz J; Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain., Haro JM; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-Princesa), Madrid, Spain., Olaya B; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain. |
| Source: | Journal of affective disorders [J Affect Disord] 2026 Aug 15; Vol. 407, pp. 121795. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 13. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7906073 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-2517 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01650327 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Affect Disord Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press. |
| MeSH Terms: | Loneliness*/psychology , Mental Disorders*/epidemiology , Mental Disorders*/psychology , Social Support* , Multimorbidity*, Chronic Disease/psychology ; Humans ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Young Adult |
| Abstract: | Introduction: This research aimed to examine: (1) the role of chronic physical multimorbidity as a risk factor for common mental disorders, (2) the mediating effects of social support and loneliness on the relationship between physical multimorbidity and common mental disorders, and (3) the association between mediating factors (social support and loneliness) and common mental disorders, as well as potential moderating effects among them in this association. Methods: A total of 1380 individuals aged 18 and above were interviewed on two occasions between 2019 and 2024. Common mental disorders were evaluated using an adapted version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Physical multimorbidity was identified using the Functional Comorbidity Index. Loneliness was evaluated using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. The Oslo Social Support Scale was used to assess social support. Logistic regression models, including mediation and moderation analysis, were used to analyze the data. Results: Both physical multimorbidity and loneliness were longitudinally associated with common mental disorders. Loneliness and social support mediated the relationship between physical multimorbidity and mental disorders, accounting for 9.75% and 3.05% of the effect, respectively. The association between loneliness and common mental disorders was moderated by social support, with the impact of loneliness on common mental disorders being stronger in those with poor social support. Conclusion: Improving social support to relieve loneliness might result in a decline in the prevalence of common mental disorders in people with chronic physical conditions. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interests or personal relationships relevant to this work. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Chronic physical conditions; Common mental disorders; Loneliness; Mediating analysis; Social support |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260415 Date Completed: 20260715 Latest Revision: 20260715 |
| Update Code: | 20260715 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121795 |
| PMID: | 41985760 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-2517 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121795 |