Disentangling the Longitudinal Relation Between Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Effects and the Intervening Role of Coping

Loneliness and depressive symptoms are closely related constructs. However, mixed evidence exists on their prospective associations and only very few studies to date focused on intervening mechanisms. The present manuscript examined the direction of effects between loneliness and depressive symptoms in two longitudinal studies sampling college students (N = 514 and N = 437, respectively), using cross-lagged path analysis. Furthermore, the mediating and moderating role of active and passive coping strategies was examined. Results indicated that, although bi-directional effects tended to emerge, loneliness was a more consistent predictor of depressive symptoms across both studies than vice versa. Moreover, results indicated that this association was mediated, but not moderated, by coping strategies. Loneliness was related to an increased use of passive coping strategies, which, in turn, was a risk factor for later depressive symptoms. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are outlined.