Loneliness, positive life events, and psychological maladjustment: When good things happen, even lonely people feel better! ¬リニ

a r t i c l e i n f o The present study investigated loneliness and positive life events as predictors of psychological maladjustment (viz., depression, hopelessness, & suicidal behaviors) in a sample of 327 adults. Beyond the expected role of loneliness in psychological maladjustment, positive life events were found to further augment the prediction of depression , hopelessness, and suicidal behaviors. In addition, the presence of positive life events was found to buffer the positive association between loneliness and maladjustment. Specifically, the positive association between loneliness and psychological maladjustment was found to be weaker for those who experienced a high number of positive life events, as opposed to those who experienced a low number of positive life events. Some implications for helping adults perceive or appreciate the presence of positive events in their lives are discussed. Psychological maladjustment, ranging from depression to suicidal behaviors, represents a global public health concern (Nock et al., 2008), especially in adults (Stravynski & Boyer, 2001). For example, findings from international studies indicate that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting over 350 million individuals (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). Similarly, suicide represents the second leading cause of death among young adults in college (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention [CDC], 2012). Given the magnitude and severity of these types of maladaptive psychological outcomes, it is not a surprise that researchers have been eager to identify potential factors that may place individual at heightened risk for maladjustment. One variable that has been identified as a potential risk factor for psychological maladjustment in recent years has been loneliness (see Heinrich & Gullone, 2006, for a review). According to Russell, Peplau, and Cutrona (1980), loneliness is defined as having feelings and thoughts of being isolated and disconnected from others. For example, consistent with the contention that loneliness is a risk factor for malad-justment, Cacioppo, Hawkley, and Thisted (2010) found that greater loneliness was associated with greater depressive symptoms in adults. Findings from other studies examining psychological maladjustment in adults have also indicated a reliable positive association involving loneliness with hopelessness (Chang, Sanna, Hirsch & Jeglic, 2010) and suicidal behaviors (e.g., Stravynski & Boyer, 2001). Beyond loneliness, however, researchers have long implicated life events in the prediction of psychological maladjustment in adults. In particular, findings from studies of adults over the past several decades examining the potential impact of life events have consistently found …