Rising loneliness among US veterans is closely tied to psychiatric burden and suicide risk

A new study reveals a growing problem of loneliness among American veterans, with over one in five reporting persistent feelings of isolation. Published in J Clin Psychiatry, the research led by Robert H. Pietrzak, a professor of psychiatry at Yale, underscores the connection between loneliness and heightened risks of psychiatric disorders and suicidal thoughts.

Pietrzak and his team aimed to update knowledge on how social disconnection impacts former military members, focusing on updated national estimates of loneliness and its association with mental health and suicide risks.

Loneliness, defined as the subjective feeling of being left out or lacking companionship, affects a significant portion of U.S. veterans. In 2019-2020, more than half experienced at least moderate loneliness, and nearly one in five felt lonely frequently. Since then, demographic shifts, including a rise in younger, female, and racially diverse veterans, alongside pandemic-induced social changes, may have exacerbated isolation.

The researchers analyzed data from 2,612 veterans in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, measuring loneliness through a standard questionnaire and assessing psychiatric conditions and suicidal ideation.

The findings show that 58.7% of veterans reported at least moderate loneliness, with 36.3% experiencing moderate loneliness and 22.4% frequent loneliness. While the prevalence of moderate loneliness remained stable, frequent loneliness increased from 19.7% to 22.4%, affecting approximately 460,000 veterans. Veterans with moderate loneliness had higher odds of meeting screening criteria for depression, anxiety, PTSD, hazardous alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts compared to those hardly ever lonely.

Frequent loneliness correlated with even higher rates of psychiatric burden and suicidal thoughts, with 32.3% of these veterans reporting suicidal ideation in the past year.