Prospective Associations Among Loneliness and Health for Servicemembers: Perceived Helplessness and Negative Coping Appraisal as Explanatory Mechanisms

Links between loneliness and health are robust, though evidence for associations with alcohol use is mixed. Previous research has supported perceived stress as a predictor of alcohol use and as a pathway through which loneliness impacts health over time. Yet findings are primarily limited to civilian samples, and less is known about how loneliness relates to stress and health among service members. The current study explores prospective associations among loneliness, stress, and health (i.e., sleep, alcohol misuse, and psychological distress) within a sample of mostly male service members. We examine two dimensions of perceived stress, perceived helplessness and negative coping appraisal, as explanatory mechanisms. Controlling for baseline stress and health, loneliness predicted perceived helplessness and negative coping appraisal (4-month follow-up); in turn, perceived helplessness and negative coping appraisal predicted insomnia and sleep dissatisfaction; and negative coping appraisal predicted alcohol misuse (indirect effects). Findings support transactional models of stress and the stressor-vulnerability model of alcohol use, revealing that coping appraisals play an important explanatory role for stress-related consequences of loneliness. Further, we provide new insight into mechanisms linking loneliness to alcohol use and sleep, differentiating dimensions of stress and highlighting potential intervention targets.