Loneliness strongly linked to worse physical and mental health in hEDS
Study: Fostering meaningful friendships may offer protective effects
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Being lonely is strongly associated with worse mental and physical health in people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a new study suggests.
Support from friends appears to play a meaningful role, while dog companionship may provide emotional benefits for some individuals.
“Our findings suggest that loneliness is a potent and modifiable risk factor, and that fostering meaningful friendships may offer protective effects,” researchers wrote.
The study, “The role of perceived social support for outcomes for the long-term health condition hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome,” was published in the Journal of Health Psychology.
Patients with hEDS at higher risk of mental health issues
Living with a long-term health condition can affect far more than physical symptoms — it can also take a serious toll on mental health and social well-being. Research shows that people who feel supported by others tend to cope better with chronic illness, while loneliness and social isolation are linked to worse physical and psychological outcomes.
This may be especially true for people with hEDS, the most common subtype of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of inherited connective tissue disorders. It accounts for about 80% of EDS cases. Alongside physical symptoms, including overly mobile joints and pain, hEDS patients are at higher risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
The combination of persistent symptoms, ineffective treatment options, and disruptions to work and social life can lead to withdrawal and isolation — factors known to worsen both physical and mental health.
Social support has been shown to buffer the effects of stress and chronic illness. While most research focuses on support from family and friends, growing evidence suggests that companion animals — particularly dogs — may also provide meaningful emotional support.
Loneliness is strongest, most consistent predictor of poorer outcomes
Researchers at the University of Gloucestershire in the U.K. applied a stress-buffering model to investigate how perceived support from family, friends, and companion dogs — as well as levels of loneliness — relate to physical and emotional well-being in people with hEDS.
A total of 401 patients, with a mean age of 38.4 years, were included in the analysis. They were recruited through social media, the Ehlers-Danlos Society website, and the RIC:HER Alliance of healthcare professionals and other experts,
Most participants reported receiving support from more than one source. Support from dogs was reported most often, closely followed by family and friends. The majority of participants (317) lived with a partner or other adults, while a smaller number (72) lived alone.
When the researchers analyzed how different types of social support related to health and well-being, one factor stood out: loneliness.
Across nearly all measures, loneliness was the strongest and most consistent predictor of poorer outcomes. Higher levels of loneliness were significantly linked to worse well-being, greater anxiety, lower pain acceptance, poorer general health, reduced physical and social functioning, and higher fatigue.
Health services and advocacy groups should prioritise interventions that actively build social connection, such as peer mentoring schemes, virtual support groups, or friend-focused psychoeducation.
Support from friends was associated with better outcomes, including improved well-being, lower anxiety, better general health, and greater ability to cope with pain — though its impact was smaller than that of loneliness.
Support from family showed a more limited effect, being significantly associated only with overall well-being.
In contrast, simply having a companion dog was not strongly linked to most health outcomes. Having a dog was solely associated with fewer role limitations due to emotional health — meaning fewer difficulties carrying out daily activities due to emotional challenges — but this effect was small.
None of the social support factors were linked to changes in health over the past year or overall health-related quality of life.
Overall, these findings support the need for “targeted interventions that prioritise social connectedness and emotional validation over general assumptions of support or pet guardianship,” the researchers wrote.
“Health services and advocacy groups should prioritise interventions that actively build social connection, such as peer mentoring schemes, virtual support groups, or friend-focused psychoeducation,” they concluded.
