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
Items 101–200 of 527
Tweet topics and sentiments relating to distance learning among Italian Twitter users
Stracqualursi, L., & Agati, P. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-12915-w · Cited by 29
Wenig, V., Heumann, E., Stock, C., Busse, H., Negash, S., Pischke, C. R., & Heinrichs, K. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1284460 · Cited by 26
Perry, G., Polito, V., & Thompson, W. F. (2024) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-023-01967-5 · Cited by 22
Importance of Social Videogaming for Connection with Others During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ballard, M. E., & Spencer, M. (2022) · Games and Culture · doi:10.1177/15554120221090982 · Cited by 37
“Palgi et al. (2020) collected cross-sectional data in Israel; Lee et al. (2020) collected cross-sectional data in Seattle, WA; Tull et al. (2020) collected cross-sectional data from adults in the U.S.; and Killgore et al. (2020) collected longitudinal data from adults in the U.S.”
BackgroundAlvarez, C. V., Mirza, L., Das‐Munshi, J., & Oswald, T. K. (2024) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-024-02722-1 · Cited by 34
“These findings were seen across numerous high-income countries [7, 13–16], with a US study reporting that increases in loneliness accounted for much of the increase in depression among young adults during the pandemic [17].”
Rew, L., Yeargain, O., Peretz, C., & Croce, E. A. (2021) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2021.08.002 · Cited by 24
Akdeniz, S., & Ahçı, Z. G. (2022) · The Educational and Developmental Psychologist · doi:10.1080/20590776.2022.2050460 · Cited by 25
“Research conducted during this period revealed an increase in loneliness and psychological problems related to the pandemic (Baarck et al., 2021; Groarke et al., 2021; Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundGraupensperger, S. A., Calhoun, B. H., Fleming, C. B., Rhew, I. C., & Lee, C. M. (2022) · Prevention Science · doi:10.1007/s11121-022-01382-4 · Cited by 24
“, 2021a, b) and loneliness (Lee et al., 2020), but studies have been limited to the initial acute phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and examined relatively few time points.”
BackgroundSelf-citationTakács, J., Katona, Z. B., & Ihász, F. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.067 · Cited by 23
“One-third of adolescents have reported a high level of loneliness, and almost half of young adults have been lonely during lockdown which might have detrimental consequences on mental health (Mental Health Foundation, 2021; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSlimmen, S., Timmermans, O., Lechner, L., & Oenema, A. (2024) · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101068 · Cited by 23
Rania, N., & Coppola, I. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805706 · Cited by 25
“…the world (Knipe et al., 2020) and that there is an association between fear and depression (Daly and Robinson, 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Lee and Crunk, 2020; Satici et al., 2020; Ye et al., 2020), which in severe cases Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 3 February 2022 | Volume…”
BackgroundCausadías, J. M., Alcalá, L., Morris, K. S., Yaylaci, F. T., & Zhang, N. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1080/15374416.2022.2084744 · Cited by 26
“These necessary measures have augmented feelings of loneliness, isolation, and disconnection during the pandemic, which have been linked to increased mental health problems (C. M. Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundThe COVID-19 Pandemic and Adolescents’ Psychological Distress: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study
Hằng, N. T. M., Nguyen, H. V., Zouini, B., Senhaji, M., Bador, K., Meszaros, Z. S., Stevanović, D., & Kerekes, N. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19148261 · Cited by 22
Brown, A. A., Sullivan, S., Jacobson, B., Holt, B., & Donovan, S. (2022) · Online Learning · doi:10.24059/olj.v26i4.3123 · Cited by 29
“In response to the coronavirus lockdown, researchers noted increased loneliness, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (Labrague et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Horigian et al., 2020).”
BackgroundHardi, F. A., Goetschius, L. G., Tillem, S., McLoyd, V. C., Jeanne Brooks-gunn, B., Boone, M. H., Lopez‐Duran, N. L., Mitchell, C. M., Hyde, L. W., & Monk, C. S. (2023) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101253 · Cited by 25
“anxiety and depression, especially for young adults (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundRefaeli, T., & Achdut, N. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13126942 · Cited by 20
“[35] suggested that the social restrictions that followed the pandemic’s outbreak led to high rates of loneliness particularly among those with previously stronger social networks.”
BackgroundCOVID-19 Pandemic and the Second Lockdown: The 3rd Wave of the Disease Through the Voice of Youth
Branquinho, C., Santos, A. C., Noronha, C., Ramiro, L., & de Matos, M. G. (2021) · Child Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s12187-021-09865-6 · Cited by 20
Young Adult Mental Health Beyond the COVID-19 Era: Can Enlightened Policy Promote Long-Term Change?
Gruber, J., Hinshaw, S. P., Clark, L. A., Rottenberg, J. A., & Prinstein, M. J. (2023) · Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1177/23727322221150199 · Cited by 24
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed event in history, leading to severe social and economic dislocations, chronic uncertainty, social isolation, and disruptions of daily routines, particularly for young people and their families (Gruber et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Liu et al., 2020).”
BackgroundJafarlou, S., Azimi, I., Lai, J., Wang, Y., Labbaf, S., Nguyen, B., Qureshi, H., Marcotullio, C., Borelli, J. L., Dutt, N. D., et al. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0298949 · Cited by 22
“Individuals with lower socioeconomic status, younger adults, and students in particular were found to have high feelings of loneliness during the pandemic [8, 9], though empirical evidence regarding the .”
Davies, E., Puljević, C., Gilchrist, G., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103563 · Cited by 19
Scott, R. A., Stuart, J., Barber, B. L., O'Donnell, K. J., & O'Donnell, A. W. (2022) · Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace · doi:10.5817/cp2022-2-10 · Cited by 18
“However, some studies (e.g., Krendl & Perry, 2021; C. M. Lee et al., 2020) found increases in loneliness following the onset of the pandemic.”
BackgroundFacilitators and barriers to social distancing for young people during the COVID-19 pandemic
Berry, E., Jenkins, C., & Allen, S. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-13325-3 · Cited by 19
Leon, M. D. C., Moreira, J. F. G., Saragosa‐Harris, N. M., Waizman, Y. H., Sedykin, A., Peris, T. S., & Silvers, J. A. (2022) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-022-01416-6 · Cited by 26
“Although the present study did not find an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on loneliness, other work found elevated loneliness in college students and young adults more broadly during the pandemic [38, 77].”
Sirola, A., Nyrhinen, J., & Wilska, T. (2023) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-022-10185-9 · Cited by 25
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults and women reported higher levels of loneliness (Lee et al., 2020; Luchetti et al., 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialUnderstanding Disclosure and Support for Youth Mental Health in Social Music Communities
Jin, Y., Cai, W., Chen, L., Dai, Y., & Jiang, T. (2023) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3579629 · Cited by 25
“, depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness) [77] and struggle with the associatedmental health issues [32, 59, 81].”
BackgroundValeri, L., Amsalem, D., Jankowski, S. E., Susser, E., & Dixon, L. B. (2021) · International Journal of Public Health · doi:10.3389/ijph.2021.1604164 · Cited by 19
“Studies conducted during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic have identified moderate to high levels of loneliness [6, 7] and found associations between changes in loneliness status and depression [8, 9].”
BackgroundArem, H., Duarte, D. A., White, B., Vinson, K., Hinds, P., Ball, N., Dennis, K., McCready, D. M., Cafferty, L. A., & Berg, C. J. (2024) · Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology · doi:10.1089/jayao.2024.0021 · Cited by 19
Returning to the nest: Emerging adults living with parents during the COVID ‐19 pandemic
Prattley, J., Evans-Whipp, T. J., O’Donnell, K. J., Wong, C., Quinn, B., & Rowland, B. (2022) · Australian Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1002/ajs4.235 · Cited by 18
“…in physical peer interactions during COVID- 19 restriction periods were associated with increased loneliness and lower social well- being (Biddle et al., 2020; Killgore et al., 2020), which in turn was associated with stress, anxiety and depression (Horigian et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundGabarrell‐Pascuet, A., Varga, T. V., Moneta, M. V., Ayuso‐Mateos, J. L., Lara, E., Olaya, B., Haro, J. M., & Domènech‐Abella, J. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.042 · Cited by 21
Borowski, E. C., & Stathopoulos, A. (2023) · Journal of Transport & Health · doi:10.1016/j.jth.2023.101589 · Cited by 23
“Furthermore, pandemic-related 56 loneliness was found to be more common among young adults compared to other age groups 57 (Graupensperger et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Luchetti et al., 2020), supporting the 58 importance of this study’s contribution to quantifying the place-based components of this 59 phenomenon.”
ResultWu, J., Siu, K. W. M., & Zhang, L. (2023) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs13040292 · Cited by 20
“There is also an increased risk of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, due to hindered interaction and distancing between people [21].”
BackgroundJabbari, J., Roll, S., McQueen, A., & Ridenour, N. A. (2024) · Nursing Open · doi:10.1002/nop2.2125 · Cited by 22
“Feelings of loneliness during the pandemic have been associated with increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, psychological distress and poorer well-being during the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020; McCallum et al., 2021; Palgi et al., 2020).”
BackgroundResultNomura, K., Yamazaki, T., Maeda, E., Hirayama, J., Ono, K., Fushimi, M., Mishima, K., & Yamamoto, F. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.863300 · Cited by 19
Tong, H., Hou, W. K., Liang, L., Li, T. W., Liu, H., & Lee, T. M. C. (2021) · Innovation in Aging · doi:10.1093/geroni/igab034 · Cited by 17
López, M. D., Jiménez, Á. P., Mendoza, M. D. C. G., & Sánchez‐Queija, I. (2024) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/10901981241240745 · Cited by 19
“…(including the United States, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, and China, for example), studies have shown that young people experienced the greatest increase in psychological distress (Jung et al., 2020; C. M. Lee et al., 2020; McGinty et al., 2020; Pierce et al., 2020; Rossell et al., 2021).”
BackgroundDell, C. A., Williamson, L. E., McKenzie, H. A., Carey, B., Cruz, M., Gibson, M., & Pavelich, A. R. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11030914 · Cited by 16
“Globally, people were also reporting an increased sense of isolation and loneliness as a consequence of physical distancing and lock down measures [21,22].”
BackgroundPatrick, M. E., Ramirez, J. J., Cadigan, J. M., Graupensperger, S. A., Walukevich‐Dienst, K., Rhew, I. C., Rinehart, L., & Lee, C. M. (2021) · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1037/adb0000791 · Cited by 19
Self-citationKulcar, V., Bork‐Hüffer, T., & Schneider, A.-M. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880646 · Cited by 18
Kovács, L. N., Katzinger, E., Yi, S., Demetrovics, Z., Maráz, A., & Kökönyei, G. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0274458 · Cited by 20
“The increased rate of reported loneliness indicates that video calls may not be able to fully substitute in-person social interactions, especially in the long term [21].”
BackgroundNiles, M. T., McCarthy, A. C., Malacarne, J., et al. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-52320-z · Cited by 16
“The global COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected the global economy and food systems 33,34 .”
Background#COVID#BACKTOSCHOOL: Qualitative study based on the voice of Portuguese adolescents
Branquinho, C., Santos, A. C., Ramiro, L., & de Matos, M. G. (2021) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.22670 · Cited by 16
“About half of the participants reported that peer relationships were affected by this new back to school period due to schedules mismatch, and as Lee et al. (2020) found the disruption of the social routines' contacts was one of the risk factors for loneliness, and depression‐related symptoms…”
BackgroundInfluentialGranata, L., Gildawie, K. R., Ismail, N., Brenhouse, H. C., & Kopec, A. M. (2022) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101143 · Cited by 15
Bakul, F., & Heanoy, E. Z. (2022) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103759 · Cited by 15
“distress, and insomnia and as a consequence people experienced adverse well-being (Liang et al., 2020; Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Wong et al., 2020; Xiao et al., 2020).”
Matos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N. B., Linharelhos, M., Rijo, D., Asano, K., Vilas, S. P., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20031845 · Cited by 21
Luk, J. W., Leiter, N., Stangl, B. L., Gunawan, T., Schwandt, M. L., Goldman, D. A., Diazgranados, N., & Ramchandani, V. A. (2024) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115826 · Cited by 16
Mikocka‐Walus, A. A., Skvarc, D., Acosta, M. B., Evertsz, F. B., Bernstein, C. N., Burisch, J. M., Ferreira, N. B., Gearry, R. B., Graff, L. A., Jedel, S., et al. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-021-09818-9 · Cited by 15
Badri, S. K. Z., Yunus, W. M. A. W. M., Ramos, H. M., & Mahmud, N. B. (2021) · Higher Education Research & Development · doi:10.1080/07294360.2021.2014407 · Cited by 15
“learning, can lead to intense feelings of social isolation, loneliness and increased distress (Hussein et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020) due to reduced physical activities and poor social connections.”
BackgroundExamining young adults daily perspectives on usage of anxiety apps: A user study
Balaskas, A., Schueller, S. M., Cox, A. L., Rashleigh, C., & Doherty, G. J. (2023) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000185 · Cited by 15
Internalizing the COVID-19 pandemic: Gendered differences in youth mental health
Hoyt, L. T., Dotson, M. P., Suleiman, A. B., Burke, N. L., Johnson, J. B., & Cohen, A. K. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101636 · Cited by 14
Bravata, D. M., Kim, J., Russell, D. W., Goldman, R., & Pace, E. M. (2023) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/48864 · Cited by 17
A scoping review of life skills development and transfer in emerging adults
Tanious, R., Gérain, P., Jacquet, W., & Hoof, E. V. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275094 · Cited by 22
Shrout, M. R., Wilson, S. J., Farrell, A. K., Rice, T. M., Weiser, D. A., Novak, J. R., & Monk, J. K. (2024) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12943 · Cited by 22
The impact of positive and adverse childhood experiences on social connectedness in young adults
Willis, M. C., Jeffries, J., Barrett, A. R., & Swearer, S. M. (2024) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106033 · Cited by 18
Loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from five European countries
Rebechi, A., Lepinteur, A., Clark, A. E., Rohde, N., Vögele, C., & D’Ambrosio, C. (2024) · Economics & Human Biology · doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2024.101427 · Cited by 19
“…2022b; Brodeur et al., 2021; Bu et al., 2023; Cameron-Blake et al., 2023; Clark and Lepinteur, 2022; Fancourt et al., 2021; Jabakhanji et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2021; Lorenzo et al., 2023; Hamermesh, 2020; Salanti et al., 2022; Voss et al., 2021), and more specifically to that on…”
BackgroundAllen, R. E., Hochard, K. D., Kannangara, C. S., & Carson, J. F. (2024) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs14121146 · Cited by 22
Luo, Y. (2021) · JMIR Aging · doi:10.2196/29953 · Cited by 15
“Although such a relationship was also documented by studies conducted among general adults [57] and younger adults aged 22 to 29 years [58], this study did not find a significant relationship between perceived more loneliness and depression among middle-aged adults.”
ResultLiu, C. H., Wong, G. T. F., Hyun, S., & Hahm, H. C. (2022) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.048 · Cited by 15
Young Adults’ Loneliness and Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model
Lv, F., Yu, M., Li, J., Tan, J., Ye, Z., Xiao, M., Zhu, Y., Guo, S., Liu, Y., & Gao, D. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842738 · Cited by 14
“Young adulthood is an important period of cognitive and personality development, and individuals going through this period are vulnerable to mental health problems (Lee et al., 2020; Ramo and Lim, 2021).”
BackgroundResultZhu, K., Wang, S., Yue, Y., Smith, B. A., Zhang, Z., Freudenheim, J. L., Niu, Z., Zhang, J., Smith, E., Ye, J., et al. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-35981-0 · Cited by 17
Factors Associated With Depression and Anxiety in Korean Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Kim, H., Jhon, M., Kim, J., Kang, H., Ryu, S., Kim, J., Lee, J. Y., & Kim, S. (2022) · Psychiatry Investigation · doi:10.30773/pi.2021.0365 · Cited by 14
de Matos, M. G., & Wainwright, T. W. (2021) · The Psychologist Practice & Research Journal · doi:10.33525/pprj.v4i1.105 · Cited by 13
“April 2021 | DOI: https://10.33525/pprj.v4i1.105 page 5 risk factors (Lee et al., 2020; Matos et al., 2021; Francisco et al., 2020).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialLi, X., Wang, M., Zhang, X., Sun, P., & Liu, M. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03696-6 · Cited by 12
“In addition, depression in W1 and some demographic variables (e.g., gender, grade) were regarded as the covariates, as they are shown to have a significant impact on individual depression symptoms in previous research (e.g., Lee et al., 2020).”
Jacobs, W., Qin, W. A., Riley, T. N., Parker, E. S., Owora, A. H., & Leventhal, A. M. (2024) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107979 · Cited by 13
Ergül‐Topçu, A., Yasak, Y., Kalafat, T., & Altınoğlu‐Dikmeer, İ. (2021) · Eğitimde Kuram ve Uygulama · doi:10.17244/eku.926595 · Cited by 14
College Student Loneliness and the Reopening of Campuses During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Vaterlaus, J. M. (2022) · Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal · doi:10.1111/fcsr.12427 · Cited by 14
Impairing Social Connectedness: The Dangers of Treating Grief With Naltrexone
Thieleman, K., Cacciatore, J., & Thomas, S. (2022) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/00221678221093822 · Cited by 13
“Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the risks posed by loneliness and other consequences of social isolation (Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Li & Wang, 2020).”
BackgroundGanson, K. T., Cuccolo, K., & Nagata, J. M. (2023) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2023.2232872 · Cited by 13
“25 While several empirical studies have noted the link between loneliness and isolation during COVID-19 and depression and anxiety, 26,27 fewer have looked at the relationship between loneliness during COVID-19 and eating disorder symptomatology.”
Luginaah, N. A., Batung, E. S., Ziegler, B. R., Amoak, D., Trudell, J. P., Arku, G., & Luginaah, I. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20237095 · Cited by 16
“Social acceptance can be promoted through LGBTQ-affirming virtual extracurricular activities [85], social media resources such as the Trevor Project [65], and establishing protective spaces [86].”
BackgroundWagener, A., Stassart, C., & Etienne, A.-M. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19105908 · Cited by 12
Advancing youth co-design of ethical guidelines for AI-powered digital mental health tools
Figueroa, C. A., Ramos, G., Psihogios, A. M., Ekuban, E., Bansie, P., de Haas, M., Karnik, N. S., Ajilore, O., Anderson, E. E., & Stiles‐Shields, C. (2025) · Nature Mental Health · doi:10.1038/s44220-025-00467-7 · Cited by 12
“The mental health of adolescents and young adults (AYA) has come under great strain due to challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic 1 , increased loneliness and isolation 2 , social inequity and systemic rac-ism 3 .”
Lee, Y. E., Seo, J. H., Kim, S. T., Jeon, S., Park, C. I., Kim, S. J., & Kang, J. I. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0286636 · Cited by 16
“Recent studies show that there has been an increase in loneliness among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is associated with an increase in depression [57].”
BackgroundSimegn, W., Chanie, G. S., Seid, A. M., & Dagne, H. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0287365 · Cited by 16
“A higher level of loneliness may result in mental health problems, as evidenced by a rapid systematic review [5] and studies showed loneliness to be related to negative mental health symptoms [76, 77].”
BackgroundKang, B., & Hong, M. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/58791 · Cited by 18
Luttenbacher, I., Breukel, J. S., & Adamson, M. M. (2021) · COVID · doi:10.3390/covid1020038 · Cited by 11
“A recent meta-analysis supported this theory by showing that loneliness strongly predicts depression [12]; a finding that was further supported by studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic [13,14].”
ResultRudert, S. C., & Janke, S. (2022) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12546 · Cited by 15
The Relationship between Meaning in Life and the Childhood Family Environment among Emerging Adults
Dameron, E., & Goeke‐Morey, M. C. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20115945 · Cited by 17
“Other samples of emerging adults generally reported scores in the lonely range during the pandemic [67], while the loneliness scores of this sample (M = 5.”
BackgroundLiu, J., Yu, X., Kong, L., & Zhou, X. (2023) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-023-05369-5 · Cited by 22
“Additionally, females were more likely to suffer from loneliness and other negative emotions, which also contributed to smartphone addiction [49].”
BackgroundTulk, J., Garland, S. N., Howden, K., Glidden, C., Scott, I., Chalifour, K., Eaton, G., Mahar, A. L., & Oberoi, S. (2022) · Sleep Health · doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2022.04.005 · Cited by 14
“Further, AYAs reported feeling greater levels of social isolation and loneliness during the pandemic, which is associated with greater mental health concerns.(3) AYAs diagnosed with cancer are more vulnerable to the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 because of their additional risk of experiencing severe effects of COV…”
Cadigan, J. M., Calhoun, B. H., Rhew, I. C., & Lee, C. M. (2023) · Journal of Research on Adolescence · doi:10.1111/jora.12841 · Cited by 11
Self-citationDistinct aspects of human connection associated with subjective well-being
Ruppel, E. H., Child, S. T., Fischer, C., & Botchway, M. (2022) · SSM - Mental Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100143 · Cited by 10
“Additionally, recent unprecedented events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that require physical isolation for extensive periods have highlighted how detrimental loneliness is for health outcomes (Lee et al., 2020; Creese et al., 2021).”
BackgroundUniversity freshmen's excessive smartphone use and psychological safety during the COVID-19 pandemic
Yang, Q., Shi, M., LianPing, Z., & Ping, X. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.993555 · Cited by 12
“Some longitudinal studies or metaanalysis studies comparing changes in mental health before and after the COVID-19 outbreak have found that the pandemic has induced more serious mental health problems (56, 57).”
BackgroundLeBaron-Black, A. B., Yorgason, J., Curran, M. A., Saxey, M. T., & Okamoto, R. M. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192013125 · Cited by 10
“It may be that the timing of data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic for these study constructs also made a difference, as others have found that when assessed over time, depression (but not anxiety) increased over time due to feelings of loneliness [59].”
BackgroundLorijn, S. J., Laninga‐Wijnen, L., Engels, M., Lodder, G. M. A., & Veenstra, R. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0286085 · Cited by 14
Broom, T. W., & Wagner, D. D. (2023) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhad237 · Cited by 13
Sundler, A. J., Bergnéhr, D., Haffejee, S., Iqbal, H., Orellana, M. F., del Solar, A. V., Ángeles, S. L., Faircloth, C., Liu, L., Mwanda, A., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1080/17482631.2023.2251236 · Cited by 14
“Heightened rates of social isolation and feelings of loneliness were reported by young people during the pandemic, considered risk factors for mental health problems, depression, and mental ill health (Lee et al., 2020; Lisitsa et al., 2020; Loades et al., 2020).”
Rohde, G. E., Helseth, S., Skarstein, S. O., Småstuen, M. C., Mikkelsen, H. T., & Haraldstad, K. (2022) · Health and Quality of Life Outcomes · doi:10.1186/s12955-022-02069-8 · Cited by 10
Kil, H., Lacourse, É., Mageau, G. A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Dorfman, A., Stolle, D., Lina, J., & de la Sablonnière, R. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016397 · Cited by 12
“org dramatically during the pandemic (Lee et al., 2020), suggesting these life characteristics may also play important roles in how individuals coped with the pandemic and its impacts.”
BackgroundLandeghem, C. V., & Jakobson, L. S. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330483 · Cited by 15
Szenczy, A. K., & Nelson, B. D. (2021) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111053 · Cited by 11
“Finally, few studies have examined longitudinal, within-person changes in symptoms among U.S. samples, and even fewer have sought to examine predictors of poor outcomes (Lee et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2020).”
BackgroundHow the home features in young adults’ representations of loneliness: The impact of COVID‐19
Sawyer, I., Fardghassemi, S., & Joffé, H. (2022) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12540 · Cited by 12
“For example, research by Lee et al. (2020) demonstrated that psychological sequelae of loneliness have been exacerbated among young adults as a result of the pandemic.”
BackgroundStewart, S. E., Best, J. R., Selles, R. R., Naqqash, Z., Lin, B., Lu, C., Au, A., Snell, G., Westwell-Roper, C. Y., Vallani, T., et al. (2023) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-023-00560-8 · Cited by 13
“Potential explanations include exacerbated isolation in a previously socially isolated group [32], being quarantined with unsupportive parents [13] or in abusive environments [18] and increased peer victimization [22].”
BackgroundBroom, T. W., Iyer, S., Courtney, A. L., & Meyer, M. L. (2024) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-024-00088-3 · Cited by 11
Sarhaddi, F., Azimi, I., Niela‐Vilén, H., Axelin, A., Liljeberg, P., & Rahmani, A. M. (2023) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/47950 · Cited by 18
“In addition, loneliness is a global public health issue that is growing in modern society and has also slightly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant social isolation [4-8].”
BackgroundYoung adults’ experiences with loss and grief during COVID-19
Weaver, R. H., Srinivasan, E., Decker, A., & Bolkan, C. R. (2021) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2021.1984339 · Cited by 10
“…reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms compared to pre-pandemic levels (Liu et al., 2020; Weaver et al., in press); these mental health concerns were further exacerbated by job insecurity (Ganson, 2021) and increased loneliness (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundLanghinrichsen‐Rohling, J., Schroeder, G. E., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, R. A., Mennicke, A. M., Harris, Y.-J., Sullivan, S., Gray, G. G., & Cramer, R. J. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19052608 · Cited by 10
The Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on PHQ Depression Screening Scores for High School Athletes
Adams, D. P., Holt, J. R., Martin, J. A., Houpy, D. M., & HOLLENBACH, K. A. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19169943 · Cited by 10
Cipolletta, S., Ronconi, L., & Tomaino, S. C. M. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1529795 · Cited by 15
Hathaway, C. A., Bloomer, A. M., Oswald, L. B., Siegel, E. M., Peoples, A. R., Ulrich, C. M., Penedo, F. J., Tworoger, S. S., & Gonzalez, B. D. (2022) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0001172 · Cited by 9
Domestic Violence, Mental Health, and Resilience Among Older Adults in the U.S. During COVID-19
Yoon, S., & Mahapatra, N. (2023) · Journal of Aging and Health · doi:10.1177/08982643231181753 · Cited by 10
“Given the detrimental impact of loneliness on older victims ’ physical, cognitive, and mental health (Chen, 2020; Goodman & Epstein, 2022; Lee et al., 2020; Lim et al., 2020), alleviating loneliness among victims is crucial through efforts to foster meaningful social connectedness.”
BackgroundHirshberg, M. J., Dahl, C. J., Bolt, D. M., Davidson, R. J., & Goldberg, S. B. (2024) · Clinical Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/21677026241233262 · Cited by 13
“Lee et al., 2020) and adults (S. L. Lee et al., 2021).”
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
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-05, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-05 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
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