Is Trauma Isolating, or Does Isolation Traumatize? Loneliness and Posttraumatic Stress Mutually Reinforce One Another in the Aftermath of Environmental Disaster

Abstract

While loneliness has been robustly linked to many health outcomes, limited research has considered its relationship with posttraumatic stress. The evidence that does exist points to a complex and bidirectional relationship between loneliness and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of trauma. Method: We conducted a longitudinal study of 209 Australian adults who had experienced bushfire disaster, with three timepoints of data across 3 years. A path analytic model was used to assess the unfolding relationship between loneliness and PTSD symptoms over time, with covariates of age, gender, education, and household income. Results: We found that loneliness was a key risk factor for worsening PTSD symptoms, which, in turn, predicted increasing loneliness. Specifically, those whose trauma exposure was more severe or who had background mental health risk reported worse loneliness and posttraumatic stress 12–18 months after the disaster (T1). Loneliness at T1 predicted greater PTSD symptoms at T2 (∼3 years postdisaster). Furthermore, T2 PTSD symptoms predicted greater loneliness at T3 (∼4 years postdisaster). The model explained 39% of the variance in T2 PTSD symptoms and 41% of the variance in T3 loneliness. Conclusions: These results speak to the importance of early response efforts that encourage collective recovery and community engagement in disaster management. This may support the long-term goal of preventing the onset of harmful cycles of loneliness and PTSD in the wake of traumatic experiences.