From loneliness to depression: A longitudinal diagnostic study among Norwegian university students

Abstract Purpose Loneliness is an increasing public health concern among young adults. There is insufficient prior research on the association between loneliness and depressive disorder among students in higher education. Methods This prospective population-based cohort study from Norway invited all full-time students aged 18–35 to participate in the 2022 Students’ Health and Wellbeing Study (SHoT). Of the 53,362 respondents, a subgroup of 16,418 students was randomly selected for diagnostic follow-up, with valid data from 10,460 participants. Loneliness was assessed in 2022 using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale (T-ILS) and Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) were assessed in 2023 using a self-administered electronic version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 5.0 (CIDI 5.0). Results A clear dose-response relationship was observed: students in the highest loneliness quintile had a substantially increased risk of MDE one year later. After adjusting for age and baseline anxiety and depression symptoms, the relative risk (RR) for MDE in the highest versus lowest T-ILS quintile was 2.02 (95% CI: 1.58–2.63) for females and 2.64 (95% CI: 1.63–4.49) for males—representing a ~ 70–75% reduction from unadjusted estimates. The overall prevalence of MDE was 21.1% in females and 11.2% in males. Formal interaction analyses indicated a statistically significant multiplicative interaction by sex, but no evidence of additive interaction. Conclusions Loneliness is a strong and independent predictor of MDE in young adults, even after accounting for baseline mental health. Targeting loneliness may be important for preventing depression in university populations.