Determining the relationship between loneliness and depression in adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional survey

Abstract

Purpose The aim of the present study is to determine the relationship between loneliness and depression felt by adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design and Methods The study sample consisted of 423 adolescents who volunteered to participate in the study. All participants had internet access and the cognitive ability to express themselves. The participants filled out the Google Documents form that included the “Socio‐demographic Data Form,” “Children's Depression Inventory,” and “Short‐form UCLA Loneliness Scale” to collect data. Findings It was determined that the depression inventory total mean score of the adolescents participating in the study was 55.15 ± 2.88 (high) and the loneliness scale total mean score was 16.43 ± 4.93 (medium). A statistically positive high correlation was found between the depression total mean scores and the loneliness total mean scores of the adolescents ( p < 0.05). As the loneliness levels of the adolescents increased, their depression levels increased. Practice Implications Adolescents were more likely to experience mental disorders such as loneliness and depression during and after the pandemic. Governments should focus on the mental health of adolescents in the management of COVID‐19. Clinical services should plan and implement prevention activities, support programs, and services to replace early diagnosis and intervention.

Exploring the Relationship between Social Surrogate Use and Depressive Symptoms

“…The positive relationship between depression and loneliness is consistent with past research (e.g. Weeks et al, 1980;Kayaoğlu & Başcıllar, 2022), but no evidence proved that loneliness is mediating in the relationship between depressive symptoms and social surrogate use. Although depressive symptoms were related to attachment styles, especially positively related to insecure attachment styles, none of the attachment styles mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and social surrogate use.…”

Loneliness, affective disorders, suicidal ideation, and the use of psychoactive substances in a sample of adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

“…The experience of loneliness is common in preadolescence and adolescence (Corsano, 2018). However, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, social distancing and isolation due to pandemic‐related restrictions—including the closure of schools and social centers and restriction of extracurricular activities—exacerbated the conditions that result in loneliness (Zhen et al, 2021), facilitating increases in anxiety (Johnson et al, 2001; Muzi et al, 2022) and depressive symptomatology (Christiansen et al, 2021; Kayaoğlu & Başcıllar, 2022). Persistent feelings of loneliness, boredom, sadness, and hopelessness were less prevalent among young people who felt virtually connected with others during the pandemic (S. E. Jones et al, 2022).…”

Children and adolescents' mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study of their experiences

“…Researchers noted increases in distractibility, irritability, nervousness, worries, and feelings of loneliness in C&A (Arunkumar et al, 2019; Jiao et al, 2020; Kayaoğlu & Başcıllar, 2022; Orgilés et al, 2020; Westermann et al, 2013). Although these preliminary studies generate important findings on C&A' mental health during the pandemic, the focus remains on their symptoms and are often reported by parents, which do not provide first‐hand accounts of children's social worlds (Ben‐Arieh, 2005; Kirk, 2007; van de Looij‐Jansen et al, 2011).…”