Associations Among Living Alone, Eating Alone, and Depressive Symptoms: Evidence from a Nationwide Study of South Korean Adults.

BACKGROUND

With the continuous increase in the prevalence of single-person households, growing public health concerns have emerged regarding mental health. This study examined the associations among living alone, eating alone, and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

We analyzed a nationally representative sample of 23,066 adults from South Korea. Participants were asked whether they lived alone or with other household members and whether they usually ate breakfast, lunch, or dinner alone. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. An analysis was conducted to estimate the direct and indirect associations among living alone, eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner alone, and depressive symptoms, using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Among the participants, 12.7% lived alone and 87.3% lived with others. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 10.6% among those living alone and 4.7% among those living with others. In the analysis, the OR (95% CI) for the total association between solitary eating and depressive symptoms was 1.94 (1.62, 2.35). The OR (95% CI) for the overall indirect association through eating alone was 1.36 (1.24-1.51).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found an indirect association between living alone and depressive symptoms through solitary eating. Future longitudinal studies are required to establish the temporal ordering among living alone, eating alone, and depressive symptoms and to validate our findings.