The DOI matches its Crossref record; 10 of the 13 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 7 of the 13 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Increases in loneliness among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and association with increases in mental health problems
Open accessAbstract
Purpose Young adults are at high risk for increases in loneliness and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study examined increases in loneliness in a young adult sample, for whom increases were greater, and association with increases in depression and anxiety. Method Data from 564 young adults (ages 22-29, 60.7% women) were collected in January 2020 (pre-pandemic) and April/May 2020 (during pandemic). Results Loneliness increased from January to April/May and changes in loneliness were greater for females, those with higher perceived social support in January, and those with greater concerns about the pandemic's social impacts. Depression (but not anxiety) increased during this time with changes in loneliness accounting for much of the increase in depression. Conclusions Intervention strategies with young adults need to address loneliness and feelings of reduced social support during this time, especially for those who may have had greater disruption in their social lives.
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Claims the paper makes
7 Own result · 4 No full text of the sources · 3 Partly supported · 3 Own method · 2 Supported · 2 Own interpretation · 1 Sources not found · accuracy not yet measured
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“with young adults reporting the highest levels.”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Conclusions
What the sources say
- Could not verifycites [2] McGinty, 2020, Psychological distress and loneliness reported by US adults in 2018 and April 2020, JAMA sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The results passage (indexed as Methods |, page unavailable) reports that psychological distress was highest among adults aged 18–29, but gives only an overall loneliness estimate of 13.8%. The paper does not report loneliness by age in the passages found when searching for young adults and age-group loneliness, so the claimed ranking cannot be verified from our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)
- Partly supportedcites [4] Luchetti, 2020, The trajectory of loneliness in response to COVID-19, Am Psychol sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results report that older adults had lower loneliness than both younger and middle-aged adults across the study’s assessments, including those during the pandemic. They do not directly compare younger with middle-aged adults, so the finding does not fully establish that young adults reported the highest levels. (LLM, conf=0.82)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Could not verify
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Cross-sectionally, lonely individuals are nearly 7 times more likely to meet clinical criteria for moderate to severe depression symptoms compared to nonlonely individuals [5].”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Conclusions
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [5] Killgore, 2020, Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19, Psychiatry Res source
The paper’s Abstract reports that 54.7% of lonely participants and 15.3% of non-lonely participants met criteria for moderate-to-severe depression, with an odds ratio of 6.90. It also identifies the findings as cross-sectional. The sample was U.S. adults aged 18–35 surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (LLM, conf=0.94)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Young adults particularly are at high risk for mental health problems including depression and anxiety during the pandemic [1,2]”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Conclusions
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [1]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Partly supportedcites [2] McGinty, 2020, Psychological distress and loneliness reported by US adults in 2018 and April 2020, JAMA sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results passage reports that serious psychological distress in April 2020 was highest among adults aged 18–29 (24.0%), supporting the elevated-risk claim for young adults. The Methods passage says the study measured psychological distress with the Kessler 6 scale, not depression and anxiety separately, so those specific conditions are not established by this source. (LLM, conf=0.87)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was a steeper increase in loneliness in females compared to males (interaction-p = .018)”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Women showed steeper increases in loneliness”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“in those reporting higher compared to lower levels of concerns about the pandemic's impact on social concerns in April/May (interaction-p <.001)”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“those with greater concerns about COVID-19's impact on their social relationships”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Loneliness increased from January to April/May”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“There was a statistically significant increase in loneliness from January to April/May.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“we found small, yet statistically significant, increases in loneliness from January to April/May.”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Results
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“in those with higher compared to lower perceived social support in January (interaction-p = .045)”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“young adults who had higher social support in January”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“although those with lower social support had noticeably higher levels of loneliness at both time points”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“those with lower social support did report highest levels of loneliness in both January and Spring”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Depression (but not anxiety) increased during this time”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“There was a statistically significant increase in depression symptoms.”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“Depression | 1.63 (1.67) | 1.86 (1.59) | 1.13 | .013 | 1.03, 1.24”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was no statistically significant change in anxiety symptoms over time”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“The lack of increase in anxiety was unexpected”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“Anxiety | 2.12 (1.77) | 2.05 (1.76) | .96 | .386 | .88, 1.05”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
- Probably not a substantial claim. 7
- It may state two separate claims as one. 6
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Some studies suggest the prevalence of loneliness has stayed relatively stable, or increased slightly, during the COVID-19 pandemic [2,4]”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Abstract > Conclusions
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [2] McGinty, 2020, Psychological distress and loneliness reported by US adults in 2018 and April 2020, JAMA source
The Discussion reports that 13.8% of US adults felt lonely always or often in April 2020, compared with 11% in a 2018 national survey using an identical measure. It explicitly describes the increase as slight, supporting the modest-increase alternative in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.93)
- Partly supportedcites [4] Luchetti, 2020, The trajectory of loneliness in response to COVID-19, Am Psychol sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results report no significant change in mean loneliness across assessments, while the Discussion notes a slight increase among older adults. This supports the broad pattern of stability or a modest increase, but the paper reports loneliness scores rather than prevalence, and the increase was limited to an age subgroup. The indexed passages provide section labels but no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.84)
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Perceived Social Support was measured with the 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support [9] in January (mean of 12 items; α = .91) and dichotomized for analyses based on the median of the total score (Low: <55; High: 55+) for ease of interpretation.”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Study measures
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [9] Zimet, 1988, The multidimensional scale of perceived social support, J Pers Assess source
The Instruments section identifies the Zimet et al. scale as a 12-item measure of perceived social support. The citation is attached to the instrument identification; α = .91 is reported for the citing study’s January measurement, not attributed to Zimet et al. (LLM, conf=0.90)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Supported
In the paper
“In both January and April/May, the prevalence of clinically elevated symptoms of anxiety (31.2% and 29.8%, respectively) and depression (22.5% and 25.2%) were higher than national averages with young adults [11].”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [11] Eisenberg, 2007, Help-seeking and access to mental health care in a university student population, MedCare source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“In both January and April/May, the prevalence of clinically elevated symptoms of anxiety (31.2% and 29.8%, respectively) and depression (22.5% and 25.2%) were higher than national averages with young adults [11].”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [11] Eisenberg, 2007, Help-seeking and access to mental health care in a university student population, MedCare source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Past month loneliness was measured with the three-item Loneliness Scale [7] including feeling “that you lack companionship”, “left out”, and “isolated from others” (α = .80).”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Study measures
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [7] Hughes, 2004, A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies, Res Ageing source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We used mixed-effects models to assess changes in loneliness and mental health outcomes from January to April/May, adjusted for sex, sexual orientation, age in January, dummy codes for race/ethnicity, and education completed as of January.”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Analytic plan
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“Past month depression (“Little interest or pleasure in doing things”; “Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless”; α = .88) and anxiety (“Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge”,“Not being able to stop or control worrying”; α = .88) were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 [8].”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Study measures
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [8] Kroenke, 2009, An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: The PHQ–4, Psychosomatics source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“COVID-19–related social concerns (“making you feel isolated or alone”, “placing a strain on your social life”, “placing a strain on relationships with those you live with”) was assessed in the April/May survey (mean of three items; α = .70) and dichotomized based on the median (low: <1.67; high: 1.67+), again, for ease of interpretation.”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Study measures
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Completion rates were 75.6% in January (conducted on January 6–30 to get updated contact information, current social role statuses, substance use, and mental health) and 72.0% in April/May (conducted on April 21-May 18 to get an update during the COVID-19 pandemic).”
§ Increases in Loneliness Among Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Association With Increases in Mental Health Problems > Methods > Participants and procedures
plainn = 767- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults face elevated risk of becoming lonelier.
“Young adults are at high risk for increases in loneliness and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The pandemic and its mitigation measures have had immediate, unprecedented effects across many life domains, including mental health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mitigation policies (e.g., shelter-in-place) are associated with immediate and unprecedented impacts on multiple facets of life including mental health.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Few prior studies have tracked within-person mental health changes from before to during the pandemic.
“although most studies have not examined within-person changes from before to during the pandemic.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Young adulthood is a critical period for interpersonal development, education, and career formation.
“This may be especially true for young adults who are undergoing a critical time of interpersonal development, education, and career building.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Social and physical distancing mandates brought an immediate, fundamental change to Americans' social lives.
“not surprising as public health social/physical distancing mandates had an immediate and fundamental shift for Americans' social lives.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“mental health has been characterized by decreases in positive emotions and quality of life [5,6,7,8] as well as increases in negative emotions, anxiety, fear, stress, depression, and sleep disturbances [8,9,10,11,12,13,14].”
From At the Peak of the Second Wave of COVID-19, Did Millennials Show Different Emotional Responses from Older Adults? (2022) · cites this paper as [11]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Certainly, evidence demonstrates the negative psychological impact of continued isolation for young people in particular since their life stage is more intensely shaped by their social environment (i.e. exposure to peers and learning environment) [26–28].”
From Facilitators and barriers to social distancing for young people during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [26]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“life meaning among cancer survivors [28-30]”
From A digital, coach-assisted intervention to address the psychosocial needs of young adult cancer survivors: Randomized controlled trial protocol and intervention adaptation process (2024) · cites this paper as [29]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“which have been associated with a decline in psychological well-being.40”
In the citing paper
“This is perhaps not surprising, given the documented rises in, and problematic levels, of loneliness reported in young people (Lee et al., 2020;Twenge et al., 2021), older adults (da Silva, 2024) and the population at large (Infurna et al., 2024):”
From Artificial intelligence and unconditional love: the rise of generative AI as an alternative form of mental health support (2026) · cites this paper as Lee et al., 2020
Citations
Cites
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2 · Cited by 13,339
Holmes, E. A., O'Connor, R. C., Perry, V. H., Tracey, I., Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., Ballard, C., Christensen, H., Cohen Silver, R., Everall, I., et al. (2020) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30168-1 · Cited by 5,715 · cited 2×
“A time-sensitive priority is understanding mechanisms that account for increases in mental health symptoms [3].”
BackgroundPsychometric Characteristics of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Zimet, G. D., Powell, S. S., Farley, G. K., Werkman, S., & Berkoff, K. A. (1990) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1080/00223891.1990.9674095 · Cited by 4,855
A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large Surveys: Results From Two Population-Based Studies
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027504268574 · Cited by 4,781
An Ultra-Brief Screening Scale for Anxiety and Depression: The PHQ–4
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2009) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1016/s0033-3182(09)70864-3 · Cited by 4,261 · cited 2×
“Past month depression (“Little interest or pleasure in doing things”; “Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless”; a ¼ .88) and anxiety (“Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge”,“Not being able to stop or control worrying”; a ¼ .88) were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 [8].”
MethodHelp-Seeking and Access to Mental Health Care in a University Student Population
Eisenberg, D., Golberstein, E., & Gollust, S. E. (2007) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/mlr.0b013e31803bb4c1 · Cited by 1,131 · cited 1×
“2%) were higher than national averages with young adults [11].”
BackgroundPsychological distress and loneliness reported by US adults in 2018 and April 2020
McGinty, E. E., Presskreischer, R., Han, H., & Barry, C. L. (2020) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2020.9740 · Cited by 978
Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19
Killgore, W. D. S., Cloonan, S. A., Taylor, E. C., & Dailey, N. S. (2020) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117 · Cited by 915 · cited 1×
“Cross-sectionally, lonely individuals are nearly 7 times more likely to meet clinical criteria for moderate to severe depression symptoms compared to nonlonely individuals [5].”
BackgroundThe trajectory of loneliness in response to COVID-19
Luchetti, M., Lee, J. H., Aschwanden, D., Sesker, A., Strickhouser, J. E., Terracciano, A., & Sutin, A. R. (2020) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/amp0000690 · Cited by 903 · cited 2×
“Some studies suggest the prevalence of loneliness has stayed relatively stable, or increased slightly, during the COVID-19 pandemic [2,4], with young adults reporting the highest levels.”
BackgroundResultPatrick, M. E., Rhew, I. C., Duckworth, J. C., Lewis, M. A., Abdallah, D. A., & Lee, C. M. (2019) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-019-01134-8 · Cited by 51 · cited 1×
“Participants include a community sample of young adults recruited for a longitudinal study on social role transitions and alcohol use in Seattle, WA, in 2015e2016mainly via social media, newspaper, and community advertisements (see [6]).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Robinson, E., Sutin, A. R., Daly, M., & Jones, A. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.098 · Cited by 1,147
Hawes, M. T., Szenczy, A. K., Klein, D. N., Hajcak, G., & Nelson, B. D. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720005358 · Cited by 834
Non-pharmaceutical interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review
Perra, N. (2021) · Physics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2021.02.001 · Cited by 540
“However, it is important to notice that while two surveys found an increase of loneliness during the first wave [171, 173], another reported no significant variations from January to April [163].”
BackgroundProwse, R., Sherratt, F., Abizaid, A. B., Gabrys, R. L., Hellemans, K. G. C., Patterson, Z. R., & McQuaid, R. J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.650759 · Cited by 496
“This is consistent with emerging literature showing that young adult females have experienced greater changes in levels of loneliness (36), and that female students are more likely to experience negative mental health consequences as a result of pandemic-induced changes in their social networks (16).”
ResultSafe but Lonely? Loneliness, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms and COVID-19
Okruszek, Ł., Aniszewska-Stańczuk, A., Piejka, A., Wiśniewska, M., & Żurek, K. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.579181 · Cited by 265
Graupensperger, S. A., Benson, A. J., Kilmer, J. R., & Evans, M. B. (2020) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.08.001 · Cited by 271
Buecker, S., & Horstmann, K. T. (2021) · European Psychologist · doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000453 · Cited by 225
Spiritual Well-Being and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy
Coppola, I., Rania, N., Parisi, R., & Lagomarsino, F. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626944 · Cited by 225
“Also, with regard to the perception of mental health, the data showed that the participants between 18 and 24 years old, the youngest participants, were the ones who were most affected by the lockdown situation, as also found in recent literature linked to the pandemic (85, 86).”
Cénat, J. M., Farahi, S. M. M. M., Dalexis, R. D., Darius, W. P., Bekarkhanechi, F. M., Poisson, H., Broussard, C., Ukwu, G., Auguste, E., Nguyen, D. D., et al. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.011 · Cited by 194
Joensen, A., Danielsen, S., Andersen, P. K., Groot, J., & Strandberg‐Larsen, K. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.001 · Cited by 157
“Most of the earlier findings do also indicate that women were more detrimentally impacted by the lockdown than men (Chodkiewicz et al., 2021; Daly et al., 2020; Fancourt et al., 2020; Kwong et al., 2020, 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Niedzwiedz et al., 2021; Pierce et al., 2020; Varga et al., 2021; Vistisen et al., 2021), b…”
Pallavicini, F., Pepe, A., & Mantovani, F. (2022) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2021.0252 · Cited by 201
What is good grief support? Exploring the actors and actions in social support after traumatic grief
Cacciatore, J., Thieleman, K., Fretts, R. C., & Jackson, L. B. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0252324 · Cited by 195
“The burden of loneliness in grief, especially when traumatic, is costly and presents a potential public health crisis, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic [1, 17, 18, 21].”
BackgroundCOVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review
Pai, N. B., & Vella, S. (2021) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/00048674211031489 · Cited by 133
“Conversely, another two studies found that loneliness increased during the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020; Van Tilburg et al., 2020), while Kotwal et al. (2021) found that Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 55(12) Ta bl e 1.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialGraupensperger, S. A., Fleming, C. B., Jaffe, A. E., Rhew, I. C., Patrick, M. E., & Lee, C. M. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.008 · Cited by 138
Self-citationTrajectories of resilience and mental distress to global major disruptions
Schäfer, S. K., Kunzler, A. M., Kalisch, R., Tüscher, O., & Lieb, K. (2022) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2022.09.017 · Cited by 152
“Here, associations with lower mental distress were found for social support [45,69] and self-efficacy [37].”
Bonsaksen, T., Ruffolo, M. C., Price, D., Leung, J., Thygesen, H., Lamph, G., Kabelenga, I., & Geirdal, A. Ø. (2023) · Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1080/21642850.2022.2158089 · Cited by 187
“A vast amount of studies have identified loneliness to be an important precursor of mental health problems such as depression (Beutel et al., 2017; Lee et al., 2020; Luanaigh & Lawlor, 2008; Palgi et al., 2020; Santini et al., 2016; Victor & Yang, 2012), anxiety (Beutel et al., 2017; Palgi et al.,…”
BackgroundResultMcKinlay, A. R., May, T., Dawes, J., Fancourt, D., & Burton, A. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053676 · Cited by 115
Procrastination and Stress: A Conceptual Review of Why Context Matters
Sirois, F. M. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20065031 · Cited by 126
“Loneliness, a distinct but related concept to social isolation that involves the subjective feelings of lacking the quality of relationships that one desires [75], was also heightened for many during the pandemic [76,77].”
BackgroundGroarke, J. M., McGlinchey, E., McKenna-Plumley, P. E., Berry, E., Graham‐Wisener, L., & Armour, C. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.033 · Cited by 96
Matos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N., Linharelhos, M., Rijo, D., Asano, K., Márquez, M. G., et al. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01822-2 · Cited by 82
Shek, D. T. L., Zhao, L., Dou, D., Zhu, X., & Xiao, C. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.011 · Cited by 80
Stroud, I., & Gutman, L. M. (2021) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114074 · Cited by 78
Adams, S. H., Schaub, J. P., Nagata, J. M., Park, M. J., Brindis, C. D., & Irwin, C. E. (2022) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.02.023 · Cited by 76
“Recent research indicates that young adult MHS during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with job insecurity [11] and loneliness [12].”
BackgroundKogan, L. R., Currin-McCulloch, J., Bussolari, C., Packman, W., & Erdman, P. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11072084 · Cited by 79
“Regardless of the reasons behind the increased distress for younger individuals, this negative impact appears most pronounced for young females [12,15,28].”
BackgroundJaffe, A. E., Kumar, S. A., Ramirez, J. J., & DiLillo, D. (2021) · Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/acer.14572 · Cited by 81
“Alongside the multitude of pandemic-related stressors, depression, anxiety, and loneliness increased among college students and young adults (Lee et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020).”
BackgroundLongitudinal effects of COVID‐19‐related stressors on young adults' mental health and wellbeing
Graupensperger, S. A., Calhoun, B. H., Patrick, M. E., & Lee, C. M. (2022) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12344 · Cited by 74
“Similarly, feelings of loneliness during COVID-19 are most prevalent among young adults (Lee et al., 2020; Luchetti et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe mental health and social media use of young Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic
Bailey, E., Boland, A., Bell, I., Nicholas, J., La Sala, L., & Robinson, J. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19031077 · Cited by 69
Loneliness during COVID-19: Development and influencing factors
Lampraki, C., Hoffman, A., Roquet, A., & Jopp, D. S. (2022) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0265900 · Cited by 68
“For instance, to help lonely individuals feel closer to their loved ones, governments as well as mental health professionals should encourage the maintenance of social connections in any possible way, ideally through in-person outside contacts [21,59].”
BackgroundWeber, M., Schulze, L., Bolzenkötter, T., Niemeyer, H., & Renneberg, B. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.848645 · Cited by 82
“Consistent with previous assumptions and data (4, 12, 53) but inconsistent with others (31), loneliness increased among university students during the pandemic.”
BackgroundResultOkely, J. A., Corley, J., Welstead, M., Taylor, A. M., Page, D., Skarabela, B., Redmond, P. H., Cox, S. R., & Russ, T. C. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18010210 · Cited by 71
“Various psychosocial consequences of lockdown have also been reported, including higher rates of loneliness [5,6], less social cohesion (particularly in deprived communities) [7], more mental health difficulties, and a decrease in psychological wellbeing [8–10].”
BackgroundPadmanabhanunni, A., & Pretorius, T. B. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18073613 · Cited by 69
“Loneliness is also a unique predictor of depression [11,12].”
BackgroundUpton, E. L., Clare, P. J., Aiken, A., Boland, V. C., Torres, C. D., Bruno, R., Hutchinson, D. M., Kypri, K., Mattick, R. P., MCBRIDE, N. T., et al. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291721001963 · Cited by 63
Preetz, R., Filser, A., Brömmelhaus, A., Baalmann, T., & Feldhaus, M. (2021) · Emerging Adulthood · doi:10.1177/21676968211042109 · Cited by 73
“Several studies show higher levels of loneliness due to social distancing guidelines resulting in higher levels of mental health problems (Buecker et al., 2020; Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundUrban green space access, social cohesion, and mental health outcomes before and during Covid-19
Wilson, B., Neale, C., & Roe, J. J. (2024) · Cities · doi:10.1016/j.cities.2024.105173 · Cited by 71
Meaningful activities during COVID-19 lockdown and association with mental health in Belgian adults
Cruyt, E., VRIENDT, P. D., Letter, M. D., Vlerick, P., Calders, P., Pauw, R. D., Oostra, K. M., Rodríguez‐Bailón, M., Szmalec, A., Merchán-Baeza, J. A., et al. (2021) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10673-4 · Cited by 68
“Women had lower mental health than men in this study, which is in line with other COVID-19 studies of mental health in women [13, 19, 20, 22].”
BackgroundResultGraupensperger, S. A., Cadigan, J. M., Einberger, C., & Lee, C. M. (2021) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00604-0 · Cited by 69
“The rates of loneliness among young adults have also increased more than other adult age groups (Luchetti et al., 2020), especially for young adults with greater COVID-19-related social or relational concerns and those who had more social connectedness prior to the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSelf-citationLoneliness During a Nationwide Lockdown and the Moderating Effect of Extroversion
Entringer, T. M., & Gosling, S. D. (2022) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/19485506211037871 · Cited by 55
“In addition, one previous study found a link between loneliness and increased depression symptoms in adolescents during the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundYoung People's Use of Digital Tools to Support Their Mental Health During Covid-19 Restrictions
Pretorius, C., & Coyle, D. (2021) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2021.763876 · Cited by 53
“From the onset of the worldwide restrictions, there have been concerns about the effects that loneliness would have on young people’s mental health (46).”
BackgroundMatos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N. B., Linharelhos, M., Rijo, D., Asano, K., Gregório, S., et al. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2601 · Cited by 59
“…cases or exacerbation of stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness and sleep problems in the general population (AL van Tilburg et al., 2020; Gloster et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Murphy et al., 2020; Serafini et al., 2020; Wang, Pan, et al., 2020; Wang, Zhang, et al., 2020; Wong et al., 2020).”
BackgroundRhew, I. C., Cadigan, J. M., & Lee, C. M. (2020) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108404 · Cited by 57
“There are also concerns about increases in loneliness and their downstream effects during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic (Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSelf-citationPatulny, R., & Bower, M. (2022) · Australian Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1002/ajs4.223 · Cited by 63
“This is reflected in evidence of increased loneliness during COVID among (largely single) young people (Lee et al., 2020), and people living alone with mental illness (Heron et al., 2022), and new parents in COVID who reported heightened depression from a loss of important support networks (Myers &…”
BackgroundTrends in suicide deaths before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea
Ryu, S., Nam, H. J., Jhon, M., Lee, J., Kim, J., & Kim, S. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0273637 · Cited by 50
Minhas, M., Belisario, K. L., González‐Roz, A., Halladay, J. E., Murphy, J. G., & MacKillop, J. M. (2021) · Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/acer.14624 · Cited by 49
“…mental health symptoms due to both increased predisposition and higher exposure to psychosocial stressors (e.g., increased loneliness, decreases in perceived social support, and higher intolerance to uncertainty; Cao et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Li & Wang, 2020; Seco Ferreira et al., 2020).”
BackgroundLoneliness unlocked: Associations with smartphone use and personality
MacDonald, K. B., & Schermer, J. A. (2021) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103454 · Cited by 58
“The two other studies that found significant increases in loneliness had used shorter, three item measures of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Bu et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020), which may capture more of a state feeling of isolation (the three items ask about lack of companionship, feeling isolated from others, and feeling…”
MethodResultInfluentialOn social health: history, conceptualization, and population patterning
Doyle, D. M., & Link, B. G. (2024) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2024.2314506 · Cited by 65
“Even less aggressive measures, including physical distancing (sometimes referred to as ‘ social distancing ’ ), may strain social health (e.g., Ford, 2020; Heid et al., 2021; Heidinger & Richter, 2020; Kovacs et al., 2021; Krendl & Perry, 2021; Lee et al., 2020; van Tilburg et al., 2020).”
Blendermann, M., Ebalu, T. I., Obisie-Orlu, I. C., Fried, E. I., & Hallion, L. S. (2023) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291723002295 · Cited by 50
Pedersen, M. T., Andersen, T. O., Clotworthy, A., Jensen, A. K., Strandberg‐Larsen, K., Rod, N. H., & Varga, T. V. (2022) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03655-8 · Cited by 51
“, family formation, education, and career-building) reported higher levels of loneliness and anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic [5, 10, 14, 15].”
BackgroundSchäfer, S. K., Fritz, J., Sopp, M. R., Kunzler, A. M., von Boros, L., Tüscher, O., Göritz, A. S., Lieb, K., & Michael, T. (2023) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-023-02603-2 · Cited by 56
“While some studies found higher levels of social support to be associated with better mental health [35 – 37], other studies examining a broader set of RFs did not fi nd a signi fi cant association between social support and mental health [13, 38].”
Older migrants and loneliness: scanning the field and looking forward
Fokkema, T., & Ciobanu, R. O. (2021) · European Journal of Ageing · doi:10.1007/s10433-021-00646-2 · Cited by 48
“During the coronavirus pandemic, interest in the issue of loneliness among young adults witnessed a revival (Groarke et al. 2020; Lee et al. 2020).”
BackgroundThematic Analysis on User Reviews for Depression and Anxiety Chatbot Apps: Machine Learning Approach
Ahmed, A., Aziz, S., Khalifa, M., Shah, U., Hassan, A., Abd-Alrazaq, A., & Househ, M. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/27654 · Cited by 37
“This issue has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a large number of mental health issues [25].”
BackgroundRahiem, M. D. H., Krauss, S. E., & Ersing, R. L. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph181910489 · Cited by 44
Hager, N., Judah, M. R., & Milam, A. L. (2022) · International Journal of Cognitive Therapy · doi:10.1007/s41811-022-00135-z · Cited by 55
“Further, pandemic-induced increases in loneliness are associated with a rise in depression among college students (Elmer et al., 2020) and young adults (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundCombating Loneliness with Artificial Intelligence: An AI-Based Emotional Support Model
Sullivan, Y., Nyawa, S., & Fosso Wamba, S. (2023) · Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences · doi:10.24251/hicss.2023.541 · Cited by 44
“Loneliness is also linked to early mortality and a number of physical and emotional problems, such as depression and heart disease (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundOkruszek, Ł., Piejka, A., Krawczyk, M., Schudy, A., Wiśniewska, M., Żurek, K., & Pinkham, A. E. (2021) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104103 · Cited by 43
Narita, Z. C., Banawa, R. A., Zhou, S., DeVylder, J., Koyanagi, A., & Oh, H. Y. (2021) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114362 · Cited by 41
Miles, A., Andiappan, M., Upenieks, L., & Orfanidis, C. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245865 · Cited by 48
“Sample: Canadian and American respondents from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.”
BackgroundBonsaksen, T., Schoultz, M., Thygesen, H., Ruffolo, M. C., Price, D., Leung, J., & Geirdal, A. Ø. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18062841 · Cited by 41
“However, studies conducted during the pandemic have also found increased levels of loneliness among young adults, with increases in depression largely explained by the increase in loneliness [20].”
BackgroundSocially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bierman, A., Upenieks, L., & Schieman, S. (2021) · Social Currents · doi:10.1177/23294965211011591 · Cited by 44
“Community samples of young adults in Canada in the United Kingdom also appear to support these concerns, showing increases in loneliness between early in 2020 and later in April and May 2020 (Folk et al. 2020; Lee, Cadigan, and Rhew 2020).”
BackgroundSage, K. D., Jackson, S., Fox, E., & Mauer, L. (2021) · Smart Learning Environments · doi:10.1186/s40561-021-00174-7 · Cited by 45
Faria, M. G. D. A., França, K. C. F. G., Guedes, F. C., Soares, M. D. S., Gallasch, C. H., & Kebian, L. V. A. (2021) · Revista de Enfermagem da UFSM · doi:10.5902/2179769264313 · Cited by 44
“comparativos entre janeiro de 2020 e maio de 2020 apontou-se aumento estatístico na prevalência de sintomas depressivos.(38) Desse modo, o isolamento social relacionado a população idosa está relacionado ao aumento de casos de depressão, configurando-se um problema de saúde pública.”
BackgroundMurayama, H., Suda, T., Nakamoto, I., Shinozaki, T., & Tabuchi, T. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1094340 · Cited by 40
“The recent outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) forced people to socially isolate themselves (7) and to feel lonely (8, 9) as a result of strategies enacted in efforts to reduce the risk of infection.”
BackgroundSmith, K. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2021) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-021-00901-0 · Cited by 38
“Evidence suggests that both children and adults are experiencing increases in stress, perceived social isolation, depression, and anxiety related to the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020; Li & Wang, 2020; Tull et al., 2020).”
BackgroundWard, M. D., Briggs, R., McGarrigle, C. A., Looze, C. D., O’Halloran, A. M., & Kenny, R. A. (2022) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5856 · Cited by 39
A network analysis of rumination on loneliness and the relationship with depression
Luo, J., Wong, N. M. L., Zhang, R., Wu, J., Shao, R., Chan, C. C. H., & Lee, T. M. C. (2024) · Nature Mental Health · doi:10.1038/s44220-024-00350-x · Cited by 44
Villaume, S. C., Stephens, J. E., Nwafor, E. E., Umaña‐Taylor, A. J., & Adam, E. K. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.06.012 · Cited by 35
“Impacts on mental health symptoms have been identified both within [13,14] and outside [15] the U.”
BackgroundTorrente, F. M., Yoris, A., Low, D. M., López, P. L., Bekinschtein, P., Vázquez, G. H., Manes, F. F., & Cetkovich, M. (2021) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2021.1065 · Cited by 40
Nigg, C., Petersen, E., & Macintyre, T. E. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102009 · Cited by 37
Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece
Golemis, A., Voitsidis, P., Parlapani, E., Nikopoulou, V. A., Tsipropoulou, V., Karamouzi, P., Giazkoulidou, A., Dimitriadou, A., Kafetzopoulou, C., Holeva, V., et al. (2021) · Health Promotion International · doi:10.1093/heapro/daab053 · Cited by 43
Cao, S., Zhu, Y., Li, P., Zhang, W., Ding, C., & Yang, D. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.801241 · Cited by 38
“For both young adolescents and emerging adults, additional social support is quite necessary when facing increased social isolation and confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic (Lee et al., 2020; Loades et al., 2020).”
Impact of loneliness on diurnal cortisol in youth
Jopling, E., Rnic, K., Tracy, A., & LeMoult, J. (2021) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105345 · Cited by 32
Asper, M. M., Osika, W., Dalman, C., Pöllänen, E., Simonsson, O., Flodin, P., Sidorchuk, A., Marchetti, L., Awil, F., Castro, R., et al. (2022) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2022.587 · Cited by 37
Cascalheira, C. J., McCormack, M., Portch, E., & Wignall, L. (2021) · Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100342 · Cited by 35
“This age range was selected because there is evidence that young adults report more stress in relation to COVID-19, and as a group they have received less scholarly attention despite facing many transitions and uncertainties related to sex and sexuality.(26,27) Data were from 565 participants drawn from an anonymous,…”
BackgroundLiving well in your local neighbourhood: The value of bumping and gathering places
Banwell, K., & Kingham, S. (2022) · Wellbeing Space and Society · doi:10.1016/j.wss.2022.100124 · Cited by 31
Chernova, A., Frajo-Apor, B., Pardeller, S., Tutzer, F., Plattner, B., Häring, C., Holzner, B., Kemmler, G., Marksteiner, J., Miller, C., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.766261 · Cited by 38
“This phenomenon of young people becoming increasingly lonely has been observed before (55) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (11, 52, 84) and is a matter of public concern.”
BackgroundLoneliness and multiple health domains: associations among emerging adults
Perez, L. G., Siconolfi, D. E., Troxel, W., Tucker, J. S., Seelam, R., Rodriguez, A., Shih, R. A., & D’Amico, E. J. (2022) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-021-00267-1 · Cited by 35
Rudert, S. C., Gleibs, I. H., Gollwitzer, M., Häfner, M., Hajek, K. V., Harth, N. S., Häusser, J. A., Imhoff, R., & Schneider, D. (2021) · European Psychologist · doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000457 · Cited by 34
The impact of social isolation on health and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and beyond
Vora, A., Nguyen, A. D., Spicer, C., & Li, W. (2022) · Brain Science Advances · doi:10.26599/bsa.2022.9050016 · Cited by 30
Magid, K., Henson, S. J. S., Castro, C. M., Smith, B. J., Chamberlain, C. E. W., & Levens, S. M. (2023) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12529-023-10204-y · Cited by 35
“Young adulthood is a particularly vulnerable time to experience social distancing because this is a critical period of interpersonal development and the formation of a support network outside one’s family or school group [51].”
BackgroundHomans, N. C., & Vroegop, J. L. (2021) · Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology · doi:10.1002/lio2.578 · Cited by 28
“As some studies already show an increase of loneliness, also because of the other safety measures taken by governments, this is something to seriously consider during this pandemic.(2,3) The potential negative impact of face masks on communication in general has recently been appointed in the popular press and in scie…”
BackgroundSo, C., & Fiori, K. L. (2021) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111405 · Cited by 30
Skinner, A. T., Çiftçi, L., Jones, S., Klotz, E., Ondrušková, T., Lansford, J. E., Alampay, L. P., Al‐Hassan, S. M., Bacchini, D., Bornstein, M. H., et al. (2022) · Social Sciences · doi:10.3390/socsci11020075 · Cited by 34
“…adult population is especially vulnerable; although clinical levels of internalising symptoms were higher than national averages among young adults even before the pandemic began, significant increases were reported by young adults as early as 1–2 months after the pandemic began (Lee et al. 2020).”
BackgroundHen, M., Shenaar‐Golan, V., & Yatzker, U. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.865435 · Cited by 34
“Further studies that examined adults’ mental health following the pandemic revealed an increase in loneliness and symptoms of depression mostly in females (7), anxiety and circadian rhythm dysregulation (8), stress, suicide, and substance use mostly in men (9).”
BackgroundStevens, G. W. J. M., Büyükcan-Tetik, A., Maes, M., Weinberg, D., Vermeulen, S., Visser, K., & Finkenauer, C. (2022) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.3179 · Cited by 29
“…when comparing a pre‐COVID‐19 assessment with an assessment during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Breaux et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2021; De France et al., 2021; Gadassi Polack et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Magson et al., 2021; Munasinghe et al., 2020; Rogers et al., 2021; Thorisdottir et al., 2021).”
BackgroundResultSuicidal attempt and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years
Jerónimo, M. A., Piñar, S., Samos, P., González, A. M., Bellsolà, M., Sabaté, A., Caballero, J. L., Aliart, X., Martín‐Lopez, L. M., Aceña, R. M., et al. (2021) · Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental · doi:10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.11.004 · Cited by 49
Guazzini, A., Pesce, A., Gino, F., & Duradoni, M. (2022) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs12070228 · Cited by 31
“Therefore, in line with the Need to Belong Theory and its latest developments [32–34], loneliness has been observed to have severely increased during the pandemic [35], despite the ICT support in helping adolescents and young adults maintain and safeguard some group membership and identification (e.”
BackgroundRestrepo, J. E., Quirama, T. C., & Cruz, R. Z. (2022) · Ciencia y enfermería/Ciencia y enfermería · doi:10.29393/ce28-19sdjr30019 · Cited by 28
Silvers, J. A., & Peris, T. S. (2023) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13776 · Cited by 38
Listernick, Z. I., & Badawy, S. M. (2021) · Pediatric Health Medicine and Therapeutics · doi:10.2147/phmt.s315887 · Cited by 26
“Other studies have also shown that social isolation is associated with increase in depressive symptoms.(19,20) Lack of socialization and confinement to one’s home clearly affected the mental health of young individuals.”
Virtual learning experiences in population health nursing course during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Manakatt, B. M., Carson, Z. W., Penton, R., & DeMello, A. S. (2021) · International Nursing Review · doi:10.1111/inr.12725 · Cited by 26
“These reports corroborated emerging COVID-19 literature, which indicated increased loneliness and mental health distress among youth and young adults (Lee et al., 2020).”
ResultSavcı, C., Akıncı, A. Ç., & Keles, F. (2021) · Nurse Education Today · doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105226 · Cited by 32
Harp, N. R., & Neta, M. (2022) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104333 · Cited by 28
“Although many reports indicate that loneliness increased during the pandemic (Bu et al., 2020; Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Tilburg et al., 2021; but also see Luchetti et al., 2020), the degree to which individuals experienced loneliness during the early pandemic varied as a function of…”
BackgroundRodríguez-Fernández, P., González‐Santos, J., Santamaría‐Peláez, M., Cámara, R. S., & Gonzalez-Bernal, J. J. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18115809 · Cited by 28
“This study is the first to explore the occupational balance of young adults during the pandemic, but despite the lack of research in this field, factors related to mental health [36], lifestyle [13,37], emotional distress [11], loneliness [38], behavior and well-being patterns [12] have been studied in this population.”
BackgroundThe effects of meditation on individuals facing loneliness: a scoping review
Saini, G. K., Haseeb, S. B., Taghi-Zada, Z., & Ng, J. Y. (2021) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-021-00585-8 · Cited by 28
“As such, negative behavioural health impacts associated with the pandemic posed a threat of worsening after the initial outbreak, including loneliness, which can cause increases in depressive symptoms [16].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialMégalakaki, O., & Kokou‐Kpolou, C. K. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02246-w · Cited by 26
On Our Own: Social Distance, Physical Loneliness, and Structural Isolation in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Klinenberg, É., & Leigh, J. K. (2023) · Social Problems · doi:10.1093/socpro/spad003 · Cited by 30
Factors contributing to adolescents’ COVID-19-related loneliness, distress, and worries
Christ, C. C., & Gray, J. M. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-02752-5 · Cited by 32
“One additional contributor to the increase in anxiety and depression is the loneliness resulting from physical distancing efforts meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (Lee et al., 2020; Ruggieri et al., 2021).”
Coulaud, P.-J., Jesson, J., Bolduc, N., Ferlatte, O., Jenkins, E., Bertrand, K., Salway, T., Jauffret‐Roustide, M., & Knight, R. (2022) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-022-01000-1 · Cited by 29
“, episodes of quarantine, closure of schools and businesses, limits on social gathering) (Glowacz & Schmits, 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Wathelet et al., 2020; Zheng et al., 2021).”
BackgroundArslan, G., & Coşkun, M. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941221139721 · Cited by 27
“High levels of loneliness worsen the adverse effect of coronavirus-related stressors on psychological health in young people (Lee et al., 2020), but resilient mindset comes out as a signi fi cant healing component against the harmful effects of loneliness as well (Labrague et al., 2021;…”
BackgroundChanges in depressive and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 in children from the PROGRESS cohort
McGuinn, L. A., Rivera, N. R., Osorio-Valencia, E., Schnaas, L., Hernández-Chávez, C., DeFelice, N., Harari, H. C., Klein, D. N., Wright, R. J., Téllez‐Rojo, M. M., et al. (2022) · Pediatric Research · doi:10.1038/s41390-022-02379-z · Cited by 26
“Though effective in reducing transmission, these preventative measures have contributed to social isolation and loneliness among several populations,(1) leading to the new onset of or potentially further exacerbating mental health symptoms.(2) The pandemic has posed a particular threat to the mental health of children…”
Ypsilanti, A., Mullings, E. L., Hawkins, O., & Lazuras, L. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.031 · Cited by 24
Metadata
- Authors
- Lee, C. M., Cadigan, J. M., & Rhew, I. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lee, Christine M.
- Venue
- Journal of Adolescent Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-11
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 714-717
- ISSN
- 1054-139X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7576375
- OpenAlex
- W3092376919
- Cited by
- 526
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 85 · 2023: 127 · 2022: 123 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 35.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Adolescent Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- loneliness, young adults, COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, perceived social support, gender differences, social isolation
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adult, Mental Disorders, Depression, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mental Health, Pneumonia, Viral, Social Isolation, Washington, Coronavirus Infections, Young Adult, Pandemics
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