Abstract

This study aims to ascertain the depression-pain-fatigue symptom cluster in a nonclinical sample in Korea and investigates how family relationships and loneliness might explain the symptom cluster. We recruited 257 young adults, and surveyed the quality of parental and sibling relationships, loneliness and depression, pain and fatigue symptoms. In order to ascertain the symptom cluster among the nonclinical sample, we performed correlational tests and principle component analyses. We also tested loneliness as a mediator between parental and sibling relationships and the symptom cluster. The results confirmed the existence of the symptom cluster in this sample. Furthermore, loneliness fully mediated the link between parental relationship and the symptom cluster, and partially mediated the link between sibling relationship and the symptom cluster. These results suggest that nonclinical samples also experience the symptom cluster and require more comprehensive intervention to treat psychological and physical symptoms. Implications for considering both parental and sibling relationships and loneliness to explain symptom clusters were found.