Adults who live alone are more likely to feel depressed than adults who live with others, according to a new report released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The study found that 6.4% of adults who lived alone reported feelings of depression, compared with only 4.1% of those who lived with others. These differences were observable across gender, age, income, and most racial groups.
The NCHS collected the data during the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, speaking to more than 29,400 people. At the time, 16% of adults in the United States lived alone, a percentage that has risen considerably over the past five decades. According to the report, 37.9 million people lived alone in 2022, up 4.8 million from 2012. The percentage of single-person households more than doubled between 1962 and 2022, growing from 13.6% to 28.9%.
Although the gap was observable across most groups, economic factors in particular seem to exacerbate feelings of depression, particularly among those living alone. Adults with incomes below the federal poverty line were far more likely to report feeling depressed whether they lived alone or with others (14% and 8.7%, respectively) compared with adults with incomes of 400% or more of the federal poverty limit (in this group, 3.2% of adults who lived alone reported feeling depressed, as opposed to 2.4% of those who were living with others).
But the report is not all doom and gloom for those who live alone. More than 90% of people who lived alone didn’t report feeling depressed. When it came to people’s mental health, their living situations weren’t as important as how much social and emotional support they felt they had.
In addition to asking respondents about the frequency and intensity of their feelings of depression, researchers asked: “How often do you get the social and emotional support you need?” Adults who lived alone and reported never or rarely receiving social and emotional support were twice as likely to feel depressed as those who reported the same and lived with others (19.6% and 11.6%, respectively). But the report also found that there was no significant difference in feelings of depression among those who said they always, sometimes, or usually received social and emotional support, regardless of whether they lived alone or with others.
The paper notes that while living alone may increase one’s risk of social isolation, “people living alone may be actively engaged in their work or communities and may have access to social networks and social and emotional support that may be protective of mental health.”
There are significant limitations to the study, as the author notes. There are many reasons people could live alone – because they choose to, because of a breakup, or the death of a spouse or partner. And living with people isn’t a guarantee of mental health. The paper notes that previous research found that older adults who live with other relatives or non-relatives are more likely to experience adverse mental health effects than those who live with a partner or spouse.
The study comes in the midst of what US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy has described as an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” in the US. And in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness “a global public health concern”.
Depression is not the only health risk posed by loneliness and social isolation. In addition to being associated with higher risks of depression and anxiety, the CDC also points to studies that find that social isolation is associated with a roughly 50% increased risk of dementia, a 29% increased risk of heart disease, and a 32% increased risk of stroke.
By contrast, close friendships have been found to bolster mental health and wellbeing, and can even help us live longer.