title: Loneliness and self-rated health among church-attending African Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore relations between loneliness and self-rated health among African-American adults of diverse ages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Associations between loneliness and self-rated health were investigated using covariate-adjusted linear regression models. Perceived social support was examined as a moderator. The potential indirect effects of stress and/or depressive symptoms were examined using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater loneliness was associated with poorer self-rated health (p = .008), and social support did not moderate. Stress and depressive symptoms yielded significant indirect effects in single and multiple mediator models (p values ≤ .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loneliness may contribute to poorer health among African Americans. Results suggest that greater stress and depressive symptoms might underlie these associations, but longitudinal studies are needed to assess causal relations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Felicia D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Lrreitzel@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Lorraine R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Reitzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Elaine J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Savoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas School of Public Health, USA.
authors.forename: Pragati S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Advani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Adolfo G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Vidrine
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wetter
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Lorna H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: McNeill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002835:Christianity; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult