Lear, Jack2024-05-142024-05-142023https://hdl.handle.net/2440/140777This item is only available electronically.Purpose: Loneliness has been described as a growing problem within modern western societies - particularly among men, with male loneliness and male suicide both on the rise. To date, the strength of the association between loneliness and men's mental health (i.e., symptoms of depression, anxiety, distress, suicidal ideation) has not been meta-analysed. The current meta-analysis addresses this research gap and examines potential methodological (e.g., measurement type, sampling method) and sample (e.g., age) variables that may moderate the relationship between loneliness and mental health in men. Research Methods: Sixteen observational studies (participants = 22898) were identified from the Embase, PsycINFO, and Medline databases (no date limits), and evaluated using the Newcastle - Ottawa quality assessment scale for cross-sectional studies. Pearson's r effect sizes were pooled using random effects and mixed fects modelling. Results: Moderate and positive effects were found between loneliness and all mental health symptom domains (rw range = .39 to .52); as loneliness increased symptomology also increased. Recruitment source contributed significantly to this association, with stronger effects identified in help-seeking samples. Conclusions: Loneliness poses a significant risk factor for men's mental health. Interventions to reduce loneliness, and the associated mental health consequences, may need to consider how they can be suitably adapted to the needs of men across the lifespan. Further research can expand on these findings by recruiting a more diverse sample of men but also by considering how adherence to masculine norm's may influence male loneliness. Keywords: Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety, Distress, Suicidal Ideation, Men's HealthHonours; PsychologyThesis