Pre-reading questions:
- Which do you prefer, living alone or living with your family? Why?
- Do you like attending social gatherings? Why or why not?
Vocabulary:
- substantiate /suhb-STAN-shee-eyt/
- contribute /kuhn-TRIB-yoot/
- psychological /sahy-kuh-LOJ-i-kuhl/
- weaken /WEE-kuhn/
- periodically /peer-ee-OD-ik-lee/
[verb] to show something to be true, or to support a claim with facts
The local government has a lot of evidence to substantiate the allegations of election fraud.
[verb] to be one of the reasons why something happens
Immigrants contribute to the increasing population of the country.
[adjective] relating to the human mind and feelings
The managers are also after the physical and psychological well-being of their employees.
[verb] to (cause to) become less strong, powerful, determined, or effective
The newly elected mayor is planning to weaken the number of crimes in the city.
[adverb] in a way that is repeated after a particular period of time
The president must visit the cities periodically to check their status.
A new study found that living alone increases common mental disorders (CMD). Adults who live alone are more likely to have CMD due to loneliness. The researchers looked at the data of 20,000 adults from the United Kingdom who were surveyed in 1993, 2000, and 2007. In a span of almost two decades, the number of adults who lived alone increased from 8.8 to 10.7 percent and so did the rate of CMDs from 14.1 to 16.4 percent. Louis Jacob, the first author of the study, said that the analysis of multiple factors substantiate the finding that there was a positive association between living alone and CMDs. The range of variables includes height and weight, level of education, employment status, alcohol and drug use, social support, and feelings of loneliness. Loneliness was the top reason why most adults develop CMD.
Moreover, the same study of 3,000 adults from Singapore found that living alone contributed to poor psychological well-being. Jessy Warner-Cohen, PhD, MPH, a health psychologist, said that the strong finding of the study was the effect of social support on those living alone. Social support that people get from joining clubs or organizations, walking dogs with others in the neighborhood, or cooking together could weaken mental health disorders. A report added that visiting friends and family more periodically is a good way to show social support.
Moreover, the same study of 3,000 adults from Singapore found that living alone contributed to poor psychological well-being. Jessy Warner-Cohen, PhD, MPH, a health psychologist, said that the strong finding of the study was the effect of social support on those living alone. Social support that people get from joining clubs or organizations, walking dogs with others in the neighborhood, or cooking together could weaken mental health disorders. A report added that visiting friends and family more periodically is a good way to show social support.
Comprehension Questions:
- Who are more likely to have CMD due to loneliness?
- How many adults in the United Kingdom were surveyed?
- Who is Louis Jacob?
- In the article, what are the multiple factors that were looked into to prove the association of living alone to CMDs?
- According to Warner-Cohen, what was the strong finding of the study?
Discussion Questions:
- Do you agree that living alone increases the risk of mental health disorders? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, why are CMDs most common in adults?
- Why do you think some people prefer to live alone? Explain you answer.
- What do you usually do when you feel lonely? Tell me more about it.
- Do you think joining social groups affects one’s mental health? Why or why not?