Although the adverse association of loneliness with health and mortality are well documented, less is known about moderating factors of this relationship. According to the "buffering theory," it is argued that positive affect moderates the negative associations of stressors with health. The current study contributes to the literature by asking: Does positive affect also moderate the relationship between loneliness and mortality? A large population-based sample of middle-aged and older adults in Germany from 2008 was used (N = 4442). Mortality was monitored up to 2020, resulting in a maximum follow-up period of observation of 12 years, in which mortality events could be observed. Loneliness was measured using an adapted German version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, while positive affect was measured with an adapted German version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Using Cox survival regression, it was found that loneliness significantly predicted increased mortality risk (HR = 1.20; p = .029); conversely, positive affect significantly predicted decreased mortality risk (HR = 0.63; p < .001). Furthermore, a significant interaction emerged between loneliness and positive affect in predicting mortality (HR = 0.70; p = .001): The strength of the association of loneliness with mortality decreased with increasing levels of positive affect. Positive affect attenuates the association between loneliness and mortality, supporting previous empirical research and theories on the buffering effect of positive affect. If replicated in further studies, interventions that promote positive affect might be beneficial to mitigate the negative associations of loneliness with health.

中文翻译：

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孤独和死亡率：积极影响的调节作用。

尽管孤独感与健康和死亡率的不良关联已得到充分证明，但对这种关系的调节因素知之甚少。根据“缓冲理论”，积极影响会缓和压力源与健康的负面关联。当前的研究通过以下问题为文献做出贡献：积极影响是否也缓和了孤独与死亡率之间的关系？使用了 2008 年以来德国大量基于人口的中年和老年人样本 (N = 4442)。死亡率一直监测到 2020 年，因此最长随访观察期为 12 年，在此期间可以观察到死亡事件。孤独感是使用德容吉维尔德孤独量表的改编版德国版测量的，而积极影响是通过改编的德国版积极和消极影响表来衡量的。使用 Cox 生存回归，发现孤独显着预测死亡风险增加（HR = 1.20；p = .029）；相反，积极影响可显着预测死亡风险降低（HR = 0.63；p < .001）。此外，在预测死亡率方面，孤独感和积极影响之间出现了显着的相互作用（HR = 0.70；p = .001）：孤独感与死亡率的关联强度随着积极影响水平的增加而降低。积极影响减弱了孤独感与死亡率之间的关联，支持了之前关于积极影响缓冲作用的实证研究和理论。如果在进一步的研究中复制，