The DOI matches its Crossref record; 173 of the 176 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Understanding loneliness in the twenty-first century: an update on correlates, risk factors, and potential solutions
Open accessAbstract
Purpose Loneliness is increasingly recognised as the next critical public health issue. A plausible reason for this concern may be related to emerging societal trends affecting the way we relate, communicate, and function in our social environment. In 2006, a prominent review of the clinical significance of loneliness was published. However, there has not been a comprehensive update on known and emerging risk factors and correlates of loneliness since then. Furthermore, there is no conceptual model that has been developed to better account for the complexity of loneliness and to inform the development of evidence-based solutions as we challenge the issues of the twenty-first century. Methods We reviewed the current literature to identify either known or emerging risk factors and correlates of loneliness since 2006. This includes new or known evidence on: (1) demography; (2) health, including physical health; mental health; cognitive health; brain, biology, and genetics; and (3) socio-environmental factors including digital communication and the workplace. Results We synthesized the literature according to a new proposed conceptual model of loneliness which showed the interplay between known and emerging correlates and risk factors from demography, health, to socio-environmental factors. In the conceptual model of loneliness, we illustrated how solutions can be delivered and tailored to an individual based on their life circumstances and preferences. Conclusion We concluded by…
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“The pathway between loneliness and anxiety and depression involves psychological, biological, and social factors [77, 78].”
From The prospective association of adolescent loneliness and low resilience with anxiety and depression in young adulthood: The HUNT study (2025) · cites this paper as [77]
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The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis
Surkalim, D. L., Luo, M., Eres, R., Gebel, K., van Buskirk, J., Bauman, A., & Ding, D. (2022) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-067068 · Cited by 821
Self-citationLoneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review with meta-analysis.
Ernst, M., Niederer, D., Werner, A. M., Czaja, S. J., Mikton, C., Ong, A. D., Rosen, T., Brähler, E., & Beutel, M. E. (2022) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/amp0001005 · Cited by 584
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Self-citationHolt‐Lunstad, J. (2024) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.21224 · Cited by 541
The relationships between social support and loneliness: a meta-analysis and review
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Metadata
- Authors
- Lim, M. H., Eres, R., & Vasan, S.
- Affiliations
- Swinburne University of Technology (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Lim, Michelle H.
- Venue
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Published
- 2020-06-10
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 793-810
- ISSN
- 0933-7954 (ISSN-L)
- 1433-9285
- OpenAlex
- W3033485693
- Cited by
- 438
- References
- 176
- Citations by year
- 2026: 63 · 2025: 83 · 2024: 82 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 15
- FWCI
- 8.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Locations
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- loneliness, risk factors, demography, physical health, mental health, cognitive health, digital communication, workplace, socio-environmental factors, loneliness interventions
- MeSH terms
- Communication, Humans, Loneliness, Mental Health, Public Health, Risk Factors, Social Environment
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