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Loneliness and social isolation are known to be associated with depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety. However, knowledge on the overlapping and unique features of these relationships, while differentiating between social loneliness (perceived absence of an acceptable social network) and emotional loneliness (perceived absence of close connections), is lacking. We constructed a network analysis to examine the relationships between self-reported social loneliness, emotional loneliness, social isolation, depression, general anxiety and social anxiety in a large sample of university students (N = 7314, 67.4 % female, range 16.3–75.8 years, M age = 23.9, SD age = 5.7). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine whether depression, general anxiety and social anxiety moderated the relationship between social isolation and loneliness types. As comorbidity between anxiety and depression is high, the role of anxiety as a moderator in the relationship between depression and loneliness types was also examined. The network analysis showed that social loneliness was most strongly explained by social isolation, whereas emotional loneliness was most strongly explained by social anxiety and depression. General anxiety was solely related to loneliness through depression. The regression analyses showed that general and social anxiety and depression did not moderate the relationship between social isolation and loneliness types. Differences found between loneliness types may be influenced by a methodological artifact of the DJGLS. These findings highlight the importance of social anxiety over general anxiety in relation to loneliness. Also, it showed unique relationships for social- and emotional loneliness with psycho-social variables, which has important implications for research- and clinical settings. • Emotional and social loneliness are strongly related. • The network shows the impact of social anxiety over general anxiety on loneliness. • Mental health does not moderate relation between social isolation and loneliness. • Unique relationships for loneliness types may be relevant for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social anxiety and depressive symptoms increase markedly during adolescence. Most research examining the emergence of these symptoms has used a variable-centered approach providing little information about how these symptoms group together in individuals over time. A person-centered approach utilizing latent profile and latent transitional analyses was applied to a large adolescent sample (N = 2742, M age =13.65; SD =0.63; 47.9% girls). Subgroups differing in their expressions of social anxiety and depressive symptoms at each of four annual time points were identified and then change in membership of these groups was evaluated. Four subgroups were identified: 1. Low Distress, 2. Socially Anxious, 3. Dysphoric, and 4. Comorbid. The low distress group was the largest and most stable, followed by the socially anxious group, who most commonly transitioned into the comorbid group. In contrast, the dysphoric group were most likely to remit and move to the low distress group. The comorbid group was the smallest and least stable, although once in this group, three quarters of adolescents remained in this group over time. Early intervention is particularly imperative for socially anxious adolescents with or without comorbid depressive symptoms as they are the least likely to improve across the adolescent years. • Four subgroups with varying profiles of social anxiety and depressive symptoms were identified. • For the comorbid group, social anxiety was more likely to precede depression than vice versa. • Transitions between subgroups were driven more by changes in depression than social anxiety. • Those high in social anxiety were the least likely to experience a remission in symptoms over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]