Summary:
Loneliness and social connection have become increasingly important topics, with the U.S. Surgeon General (2023) declaring loneliness as an “epidemic.” Recent prevalence estimates of loneliness range from 10% to 50% of various populations in the U.S. Reserach has found that loneliness contributes to many negative physical, mental, and emotional health outcomes like heart disease, higher mortality rates, obesity, and lack of sleep. It has also been shown to have significant deleterious effects on mood, including increased rates of substance use disorder, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In this workshop, psychologists, licensed mental health professional, medical personnel, and ministry leaders will understand goals the current state of loneliness and how to measure it with the newly developed Social Connectedness Instrument with clients or patients. Participants will learn how to implement impactful interventions to address loneliness and enhance social connection in the context of clinical to community care. Addressing loneliness might be the single most important upstream variable in improving the human condition.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the current state of loneliness and social connection through the literature and original research data collected since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outline how assessing social connection and loneliness in clients and patients and the underlying causal factors that contribute to better treatment planning and enhanced treatment retention.
Apply evidence-based best practices for addressing loneliness in the context of mental health issues and building positive social connection in non-clinical settings.