Loneliness in young people: A multilevel exploration of social ecological influences and geographic variation

Abstract

Background: Loneliness is a growing public health concern, yet little is known about loneliness in young people. The current study aimed to identify social ecological factors related to loneliness and examine the extent to which geographic region accounts for differences in loneliness.Methods: The data come from a cross-sectional sample of 6503 young people living in the United Kingdom. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item scale. Bivariate analyses were used to test associations between each predictor and loneliness. Multilevel models were used to identify key social ecological factors related to loneliness, and the extent to which loneliness varied across geographic regions. Results: Socio-demographic, social, health and wellbeing, and community factors were found to be associated with loneliness. Geographic region accounted for 5-8% of the variation in loneliness. The effect of gender, sexual orientation, and minority ethnic background on loneliness differed across geographic regions. Conclusions: This is the first study to highlight modifiable social and community factors related to youth loneliness, and individual vulnerabilities, such as poor mental wellbeing. Results related to geographic differences suggest that local-level initiatives may be most appropriate in tackling loneliness, rather than wider, less contextualized national efforts.

This is the place: a multi-level analysis of neighbourhood correlates of adolescent wellbeing

“…We also found evidence of wellbeing inequalities varying across neighbourhoods (sex, gender, and sexuality inequalities in both life satisfaction and internalising symptoms). A recent UK study, albeit one involving substantially bigger clusters (local areas), found similar evidence for loneliness among older adolescents (aged [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] with regard to sex and sexual orientation inequalities [39]. Evidence that wellbeing disadvantage among minority groups may be affected by where young people live provokes a call for more nuanced responses that identify the neighbourhoods with increased vulnerability and inequality.…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Medical Residents: A Multi-center Cross-sectional Study

“…Loneliness and social isolation during residency have detrimental consequences on residents' physical health and quality of life, as well as patient care quality and safety [5]. Furthermore, young adults have been at a higher risk of loneliness than middle-aged adults or older individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic [3]. However, no study has explored the risk factors of loneliness and social isolation in medical residents who are commonly young adults.…”

“…Loneliness and social isolation are conceptually related, and are commonly explored together. The prevalence of loneliness in the general population has ranged from 10% to 27% in the United States, Europe, and Japan [2,3]. A cross-sectional study in Germany revealed that approximately 5.4% of adults aged 18-39 years were socially isolated [4].…”

“…Another cross-sectional survey involving 108 intern doctors in Bangladesh found that insomnia was positively correlated with loneliness [6]. A cross-sectional study of 6,503 young people (aged 16-24) from the United Kingdom demonstrated that young people who reported higher perceived neighborhood quality, more face-toface contact, and normal sexual orientation were less likely to be lonely [3]. However, the studies addressing this issue are few, vary across populations, and yield contradictory conclusions.…”

Mental health and loneliness in Scottish schools: A multilevel analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

“…Overall, our findings suggest that loneliness is a crucial lever to improving the mental health of adolescents. Research demonstrates that risk factors for adolescent loneliness include, though are not limited to: experiencing social transitions, for example, moving from primary school to secondary school, or starting university, (Siva, 2020;Sundqvist & Hemberg, 2021); low socioeconomic position (Madsen et al, 2019;Varga et al, 2014); having a disability (Maes et al, 2017;ONS, 2019); or being of minority sexual orientation (Gorczynski & Fasoli, 2021;Marquez et al, 2021). Therefore, it may be particularly critical to develop interventions to tackle loneliness and foster meaningful social connections among these groups.…”