Researchers have examined the relationship between social isolation and mental health after acquired brain injury, finding that brain injury survivors have higher levels of loneliness, lower levels of quality of life and lower emotional wellbeing.
Brain injury survivors were compared with matched, healthy controls on measures of social isolation, mental health and mental health problems. Social isolation encompassed network size, social support and loneliness. Loneliness predicted quality of life, emotional wellbeing, depression and anxiety in people with brain injury.
Reference: Salas, C.E., Rojas-Líbano, D., Castro, O., Cruces, R., Evans, J., Radovic, D., Arévalo-Romero, C., Torres, J., & Aliaga, Á. (2021). Social isolation after acquired brain injury: Exploring the relationship between network size, functional support, loneliness and mental health. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 32(9), 2294-2318.