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
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Izydorczyk, B., Gruszka, A., Kałwak, W., Wendołowska, A. M., Węziak‐Białowolska, D., Czyżowska, D., Bonarska, K., Bańbura, A., Opoczyńska-Morasiewicz, M., & Sitnik‐Warchulska, K. (2025) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-024-03498-2 · Cited by 17
“In the light of alarming research results regarding the “mental health epidemic” among young people (Lee et al., 2020), concern for their health and mental well-being in the era of polycrisis seems justified (Barchielli et al., 2022; Staniszewski, 2022) Adverse health effects of polycrisis may be…”
Atlas, L. Y., Farmer, C., Shaw, J. S., Gibbons, A. B., Guinee, E. P., Lossio-Ventura, J. A., Ballard, E. D., Ernst, M., JAPEE, S. A., Pereira, F., et al. (2025) · Nature Mental Health · doi:10.1038/s44220-024-00371-6 · Cited by 12
Flowers, K. M., Colebaugh, C. A., Hruschak, V., Azizoddin, D. R., Meints, S. M., Jamison, R. N., Wilson, J. M., Edwards, R. R., & Schreiber, K. L. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-022-09901-9 · Cited by 9
The hidden impacts: Identifying psychological burdens during the Covid-19 pandemic
Nurdiyanto, F. A., & Harjanti, E. P. (2022) · Indigenous Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi · doi:10.23917/indigenous.v7i2.17472 · Cited by 13
“Studies have reported the adverse effects of loneliness on mental health problems such as symptoms of depression, anxiety, negative self-esteem, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide (Beutel et al., 2017; Lee et al., 2020; Okruszek et al., 2020).”
BackgroundXu, L., Fields, N. L., Daniel, K. M., Cipher, D. J., & Troutman, B. A. (2023) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/49752 · Cited by 12
“Resilience, as an important indicator of emotional well-being, assesses one’s ability to bounce back from or adapt to stressful situations or crises, such as having been diagnosed with ADRD [10,11].”
Hou, S., Tran, A., Cho, S., Forbes, C., Forster, V. J., Stokoe, M., Allapitan, E., Wakefield, C. E., Wiener, L. S., Heathcote, L. C., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867151 · Cited by 9
“Psychological late effects, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), are also common in survivors of childhood cancer (Lown et al., 2015; Brinkman et al., 2018; Nathan et al., 2018), and predisposes these individuals to mental health vulnerabilities.”
BackgroundBentley, S. V., Young, T., Álvarez, B., Jetten, J., Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Casara, B. G. S., Crimston, C. R., Dare, M., Ionescu, O., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.976443 · Cited by 14
“During the COVID-19 pandemic levels of loneliness and psychological distress increased across the world (8, 9, 11).”
BackgroundCollege and COVID-19: The Pandemic's reverberations on adolescents and emerging adults on campus
Vélez, G. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101592 · Cited by 10
COVID-19 mitigation policies and psychological distress in young adults
Jackson, M., & Williams, J. L. (2021) · SSM - Mental Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2021.100027 · Cited by 9
‘Doing’ dating: A cross‐sectional survey of young adults (18–35 years) in Australia and Hong Kong
Ip, I. M. H., Honey, A., & McGrath, M. (2022) · Australian Occupational Therapy Journal · doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12785 · Cited by 10
Blendermann, M., Ebalu, T. I., Obisie-Orlu, I. C., Fried, E. I., & Hallion, L. S. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/8qwmy · Cited by 8
McCready, D. M., Arem, H., Duarte, D. A., Dennis, K., Ball, N., Cafferty, L. A., Hinds, P. S., Howlader, A., & Berg, C. J. (2024) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2024.107545 · Cited by 8
Instruments for Assessing Loneliness in Older People in Portugal: A Scoping Review
Carvalho, R., de Sousa, L. X. M., & Tavares, J. (2023) · Portuguese Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1159/000529147 · Cited by 9
“Therefore, loneliness levels have increased since the start of the pandemic [10, 11].”
BackgroundWei, Y., Tang, J., Zhao, J., Liang, J., Li, Z., & Bai, S. (2023) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115233 · Cited by 11
“A study that collected data from 564 young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that the aggravation of loneliness accounted for much of the increase in the number of cases of depression, but did not lead to major anxiety (Lee et al., 2020).”
Jensen‐Campbell, L. A., Dougall, A. L., Heller, A. C., Iyer‐Eimerbrink, P. A., Bland, M. K., & Hull, K. N. (2023) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci13121691 · Cited by 11
“Contextualized with COVID-19, early studies demonstrated that levels of both perceived stress [71] and loneliness [46] reported by emerging adults during the pandemic significantly exceeded pre-pandemic levels; thus, in the current study, we expected loneliness to predict increases in perceived…”
BackgroundRichardson, L., Long, E., Goodfellow, C., Milicev, J., & Gardani, M. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0297953 · Cited by 12
Kim, C., & Chun, J. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12050584 · Cited by 12
“Our results are consistent with those of prior studies [41,42] that showed that loneliness predicted depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
ResultPandemic Loneliness in Healthcare Workers. Does It Predict Later Psychological Distress?
Stubbs, J. M., & Achat, H. M. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941221139719 · Cited by 9
“…(Bu et al., 2020; Gilbar et al., 2022; Gozansky et al., 2021; Khan & Kadoya, 2021; Killgore, Cloonan, Taylor, & Dailey, 2020; Krendl & Perry, 2021; Lee et al., 2020; McGinty et al., 2020; Pierce et al., 2020; van der Velden et al., 2021) although others have reported no signi fi cant changes or…”
BackgroundResultPatel, E. U., Astemborski, J. A., Feder, K. A., Rudolph, J. E., Winiker, A. K., Sosnowski, D. W., Kirk, G. D., Mehta, S. H., & Genberg, B. L. (2023) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109802 · Cited by 9
“…social support and negative mental health symptoms during the early pandemic period in this sample of people who have injected drugs is consistent with research in non-PWUD samples (Ehrler et al., 2022; Herzog et al., 2022; Hill et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2021; Xu et al., 2020).”
Padmanabhanunni, A., & Pretorius, T. B. (2021) · South African Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1177/00812463211037811 · Cited by 8
“Loneliness is also a predictor of depression and is characterised by a feeling of lacking needed social connections (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundRania, N., Coppola, I., Brucci, M., & Pinna, L. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03635-5 · Cited by 8
“…the objective of contrasting the individual and collective malaise that the literature has shown to be a constant in the various age groups, without significant gender differences (Authors, 2021; Ahmed et al., 2020), but, in particular, among young adults (Rania et al., 2021a; Lee et al., 2020).”
Doan, L. P., Nguyen, L. H., Do, H. N., Nguyen, T. T., Vu, L. G., Do, H. P., Vu, T. M. T., Latkin, C. A., Ho, C. S. H., & Ho, R. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0276042 · Cited by 8
“Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 increased the risk of loneliness [13], suicidal ideation [14], unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles [15] as well as worsened sleep quality [16].”
BackgroundScarfe, M. L., Belisario, K. L., Gillard, J., DeJesus, J., Frey, B. N., Ameringen, M. V., McKinnon, M. C., Gohari, M. R., Busse, J. W., & MacKillop, J. M. (2023) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115267 · Cited by 8
“In terms of overall trends, the results converge with previous evidence of increases (Lee et al., 2020; Novotný et al., 2020; Robinson et al., 2022), but extends those findings by revealing meaningful periodicity over the 24-month period.”
Resultde Bel, V., & Widmer, E. D. (2024) · Social Networks · doi:10.1016/j.socnet.2024.02.004 · Cited by 8
Wright, G. W., Volodarsky, S., Hecht, S., & Saxe, L. (2021) · Contemporary Jewry · doi:10.1007/s12397-021-09373-3 · Cited by 8
Impact of problematic Facebook use, loneliness, and poor sleep quality on mental health
al., H. E. (2021) · International Journal of ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES · doi:10.21833/ijaas.2021.09.015 · Cited by 8
Depressive Symptomatology in Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic
González, Á. A. O., García, J. F. C., Sandoval, L. C. P., Cuevas, J. R. T., Ibarra, S. A. H., Sandoval, D. A. C., González, E. C., Chica, K. S. G., Lozano, J. C. G., & Rico, M. D. C. M. (2021) · Journal of Investigative Medicine · doi:10.1136/jim-2021-001992 · Cited by 9
Plante, T. G. (2024) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel15070791 · Cited by 7
Mwaka, E., Bazzeketa, D., Mirembe, J., Emoru, R. D., Twimukye, A., & Kivumbi, A. (2025) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076251321698 · Cited by 10
Role of AI companions in addressing loneliness across generations
Nashwan, A. J., Abuhammad, S., & El‐Ashry, A. M. (2025) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104487 · Cited by 7
Allen, R. E., Kannangara, C. S., Conn, C., Heyworth, B., & Carson, J. F. (2025) · Journal of Further and Higher Education · doi:10.1080/0309877x.2025.2509576 · Cited by 9
“While the transition to online learning enabled academic studies to continue, restricted access to social circles and support networks caused heightened social isolation and loneliness (Lee, Cadigan, and Rhew 2020).”
Lovell, J., & Webber, M. (2023) · Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management · doi:10.1080/1360080x.2023.2242079 · Cited by 12
“…address upstream factors that may influence mental health and wellbeing (Dingle et al., 2022) and tackle the sorts of social isolation identified by Worsley et al. (2021b) and others, thereby alleviating student mental health problems (Dingle et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2020; McIntyre et al., 2018).”
BackgroundBereavement During and Not During the Pandemic in Terms of Complicated Grief and Social Support
Akmese, I., Foreman, T., & Brooks, G. (2024) · Omega · doi:10.1177/00302228241240944 · Cited by 7
“Given that inability to organize death services decreased the chance of receiving social support, it was predicted that loneliness and isolation during the lockdown increased (Killgore et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Li & Wang, 2020).”
Using Virtual Reality to Reduce Stress in Adolescents: Mixed Methods Usability Study
Björling, E. A., Sonney, J., Zade, H., Rodriguez, S., Pullmann, M. D., & Moon, S. H. (2024) · JMIR XR and spatial computing. · doi:10.2196/49171 · Cited by 7
Kowalsky, J. M., Mitchell, A. M., & Okdie, B. M. (2022) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2021.2023746 · Cited by 7
Einsamkeitserfahrungen junger Menschen – nicht nur in Zeiten der Pandemie
Thomas, S. (2022) · Soziale Passagen · doi:10.1007/s12592-022-00415-7 · Cited by 8
Social support against depression in young adults’ group during COVID-19 pandemic
Gawrych, M., Cichoń, E., & Kiejna, A. (2022) · Psychiatria Polska · doi:10.12740/pp/onlinefirst/147433 · Cited by 8
de Vries, J. H., Horstmann, K. T., & Mussel, P. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03829-x · Cited by 13
“For example, in a large longitudinal study, Lee et al. (2020) reported increases in loneliness in young adults with the onset of the pandemic.”
BackgroundAdolescent cyberstanders’ experience of cyberbullying in the era of Covid-19 in South Africa
Adewoye, S. E. (2022) · International Journal of Emotional Education · doi:10.56300/ldhk3526 · Cited by 7
Knowles, S. R., Möller, S. P., Stengel, A., Mikocka‐Walus, A. A., Ferreira, N., Trindade, I. A., Mokrowiecka, A., Burisch, J. M., Acosta, M. B., Bernstein, C. N., et al. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-023-09937-5 · Cited by 8
“These have been linked to prolonged isolation (Lee et al., 2020; Smith & Lim, 2020; Wong et al., 2020), fear of contracting SARS-Cov-2, as well as uncertainty around employment, and increased domestic violence (IASC, 2020).”
COVID-19, Wellness and Life Satisfaction in Adolescence: Individual and Contextual Issues
de Matos, M. G., Carvalho, M., Branquinho, C., Noronha, C., Moraes, B., Gaspar, T., Guedes, F. B., Cerqueira, A., Santos, O., & Rodrigues, N. N. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20085600 · Cited by 7
How Can We Best Use COVID-19 Vaccines in Adolescents? An International Perspective
Zhong, Y., Lee, L. Y., Tambyah, P. A., Liew, W. K., & Lee, B. W. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.014 · Cited by 7
“Furthermore, there are indirect health effects of the pandemic on youth and adolescents, such as interrupted education and, concerningly, mental health issues associated with social isolation [10,11].”
BackgroundShpakou, A., Klimatckaia, L. G., Skoblina, N., Baj–Korpak, J., Skarbalienė, A., Fedortsiv, O., Krestyaninova, T. Y., Znatnova, A. V., Kuzniatsou, A., & Cherkasova, J. (2021) · Психология Журнал Высшей школы экономики · doi:10.17323/1813-8918-2021-4-871-887 · Cited by 7
Li, M., Sun, W., Wang, Y., & Qi, C. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.805120 · Cited by 7
“Under tremendous stress from academics, parents, and graduation, the inside feelings of loneliness and frustration of these students were exaggerated (63).”
BackgroundHébert, M. L., Tippe, J. M., Aquin, C., Maximos, M., Brémault‐Phillips, S., & Sevigny, P. R. (2024) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph21101378 · Cited by 15
“Furthermore, loneliness has risen worldwide during [104] and post-COVID-19 [105,106].”
BackgroundKim, K. (2024) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-024-03465-x · Cited by 9
“At the emotional and psychological level, jobless youth experience negative emotions and psychological atrophy, such as isolation, loneliness, depression, and anxiety (Knabe et al., 2016; Matthews et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2020).”
Cook, J. Α., Jonikas, J. A., Burke-Miller, J. K., Aranda, F., Mullen, M. G., Davis, M., & Sabella, K. A. (2025) · The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research · doi:10.1007/s11414-024-09924-0 · Cited by 7
“12,13 While a considerable literature documents the pandemic’s negative effects on the mental health of emerging adults in general 14–16 only a handful of studies address pandemic impacts specifically on transition experiences, and none of these focus on young adults with pre-pandemic mental health…”
Rao, P., Segel, J. E., Bingen, K. M., Devine, K. A., Scott, A. M., Koehly, L. M., Verdery, A. M., Rumbaugh, C. L., Wasserman, E. J., Costigan, H. J., et al. (2025) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/13591053241311977 · Cited by 6
“Lastly, the COVID-19 pan-demic’s damaging effects on social connected-ness among youth further prioritizes understanding and improving AYACS’ social connectedness (Lee et al., 2020).”
Cheng, Y., Zhao, Y., Xu, Z., Wang, S., Zhu, J., Yang, Q., Zou, Y., Li, T., Liu, H., Ye, H., et al. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-025-23134-z · Cited by 6
“Job insecurity [33] and loneliness [34] were found to be related to anxiety and/ or depression among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kaya, M., & McCabe, C. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19158927 · Cited by 7
“Social isolation caused by COVID-19 has led to a decrease in social relations, individuals feeling more alone [31], and therefore a decrease in life satisfaction [32].”
BackgroundShi, W., Donovan, E. E., Quaack, K. R., Mackert, M., Shaffer, A., Luca, D. M. D., Nolan-Cody, H., & Yang, J. (2023) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2023.2259690 · Cited by 6
“…isolation, fear of infection, bereavement of loved ones, disrupted routines, and financial instability have all been cited as major stressors caused by the pandemic (Bambra et al., 2020; Bell et al., 2021; Le & Nguyen, 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Marroquin et al., 2020; McKnight-Eily et al., 2021).”
Factors predicting mental health in youth during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Spain
Vicario‐Molina, I., Ortega, E. G., González, R. P., & Picos, A. P. (2023) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-023-01367-0 · Cited by 6
“Specifically, as indicated by previous literature [16, 20, 24, 52] and hypothesized, higher levels of loneliness predicted a worse perceived mental health status.”
BackgroundMethodTucker, J. S., Dunbar, M. S., Perez, L. G., Seelam, R., Troxel, W., Davis, J. P., & D’Amico, E. J. (2022) · Behavioral Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1080/15402002.2022.2075366 · Cited by 8
“as other studies of young adults have done (Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSapancı, A., & AKKAYA, G. (2022) · International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies · doi:10.52380/ijpes.2022.9.2.724 · Cited by 8
Depression among young adults – risks and protective factors in the COVID-19 pandemic
Gawrych, M., Cichoń, E., & Kiejna, A. (2022) · Postępy Psychiatrii i Neurologii · doi:10.5114/ppn.2022.118265 · Cited by 12
“Changes in loneliness appeared to account for much of the increase in depression, as the count ratio for study wave was attenuated and no longer statistically significant after the inclusion of loneliness in the model [13].”
BackgroundInfluentialDiGuiseppi, G., Fedorova, E. V., Conn, B. M., Lankenau, S. E., Davis, J. P., Ataiants, J., & Wong, C. (2023) · Cannabis · doi:10.26828/cannabis/2023.01.003 · Cited by 6
“…a time of Understanding Changes in Social Cannabis Use 22 increased stress and fluctuations in public health policies associated with prescribed social distancing that has been found to increase social isolation and loneliness (Czeisler et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2020; Weissbourd et al., 2021).”
BackgroundGraupensperger, S. A., Calhoun, B. H., Fleming, C. B., & Lee, C. M. (2023) · Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs · doi:10.15288/jsad.22-00262 · Cited by 6
Self-citationRachidi, M., Hatem, G., Hatem, M. G., et al. (2023) · The Journal of Medicine Access · doi:10.1177/27550834231163706 · Cited by 6
Friends’ Perspective: Young Adults’ Reaction to Disclosure of Chronic Illness
Igler, E. C., Austin, J. E., Sejkora, E. K. D., & Davies, W. H. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-023-09956-2 · Cited by 6
“The COVID-19 pandemic saw a significant increase in mental health concerns for children and young adults (CDC, 2022; Elharake et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2020).”
Tan, C. N.-L., & Fauzi, M. A. (2023) · Mental Health and Social Inclusion · doi:10.1108/mhsi-09-2023-0092 · Cited by 9
Nigg, C., Petersen, E., & Macintyre, T. E. (2021) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/a9unf · Cited by 7
On social health: Conceptualization, Correlates and PatterningPreprint
Doyle, D. M., & Link, B. G. (2022) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/m2ypw · Cited by 6
Huang, K. X., Oberoi, M. K., Caprini, R. M., Hu, V. J., Malapati, S. H., Mirzaie, S., Bedar, M., Patel, H. H., & Lee, J. C. (2022) · The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal · doi:10.1177/10556656221095715 · Cited by 6
“measures.(36,37) The transition to virtual learning and limited social interactions during the pandemic may have also contributed to the worsening of depressive symptoms.”
BackgroundChung, A. F., Teasell, M. J., Pergher, V., Thornton, A. E., & Thornton, W. L. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1080631 · Cited by 5
“Early in the pandemic, younger adults reported higher rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and post-traumatic stress (Lee et al., 2020; Statistics Canada, 2021) and reported lower perceived coping efficacy compared to older adults (Carstensen et al.”
ResultKatz, B. A., Karalis, J., Hawes, M. T., & Klein, D. N. (2023) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2024.104453 · Cited by 9
Littman, D. M. (2024) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107620 · Cited by 5
Wang, H.-W., Fong, C., & Tripathi, S. (2024) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2024.159083 · Cited by 6
Dworakowski, O., Huber, Z. M., Meier, T., Boyd, R. L., Martin, M., & Horn, A. B. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192315699 · Cited by 6
Hirshberg, M. J., Colaianne, B. A., Inkelas, K. K., Oke, G., Doren, N. V., Davidson, R. J., & Roeser, R. W. (2023) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2023.2180989 · Cited by 5
“In light of evidence for deleterious pandemic effects on mental health in the general public, 40,41 what might explain these findings?”
Piejka, A., Thayer, J. F., & Okruszek, Ł. (2024) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14622 · Cited by 6
Akinkuowo, A., Cheslack‐Postava, K., Skokauskas, N., & Hoven, C. W. (2024) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-024-06305-x · Cited by 5
An A-E assessment of post-ICU COVID-19 recovery
Cadd, M., & Nunn, M. O. (2021) · Journal of Intensive Care · doi:10.1186/s40560-021-00544-w · Cited by 5
“number of studies have shown that loneliness and resulting depression has increased during the pandemic [8, 9].”
BackgroundUs and the virus: understanding the COVID-19 pandemic through a social psychological lens
Rudert, S. C., Gleibs, I. H., Gollwitzer, M., Hajek, K. V., Harth, N. S., Häusser, J. A., Imhoff, R., & Schneider, D. (2021) · London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) · Cited by 5
Izdebski, Z., Słowikowska‐Hilczer, J., & Mazur, J. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19074110 · Cited by 5
“In the group of young adults (18–23 years of age), females were at more risk for increased loneliness and depression compared to males [7].”
BackgroundGreen, N., Manwani, D. G., Smith‐Whitley, K., Aygün, B., Appiah‐Kubi, A., & Smaldone, A. M. (2022) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.29797 · Cited by 5
The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hearing Impaired
Salamah, M. A., Al-Ahmadi, A., Arabi, S. S., et al. (2022) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.31348 · Cited by 5
“Feeling lonely due to face masks could add to the fact that there has been an increase in loneliness because of the security measures applied by local governments [4,5].”
BackgroundSerpas, D. G., & Ignacio, D. A. (2023) · Journal of Hispanic Higher Education · doi:10.1177/15381927221147625 · Cited by 5
El-Desoky, R., Cruz, A. D. L., Thornton, J. D., Wanat, M. A., & Varkey, D. A. (2023) · Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning · doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2023.02.005 · Cited by 5
Schäfer, S. K., Fritz, J., Sopp, M. R., Kunzler, A. M., von Boros, L., Tüscher, O., Göritz, A. S., Lieb, K., & Michael, T. (2023) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/evkw5 · Cited by 5
Janson, M. A., Felix, E. D., Jaramillo, N., Sharkey, J. D., & Barnett, M. L. (2024) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs14090787 · Cited by 4
“…sample of young adults (not recruited based on disaster exposure), significant increases in anxiety, depression, and PTSS [49,78–80] were observed from pre-to during-pandemic time points (spring 2020); on average, these increases in symptoms began to decline significantly by summer 2020 [81].”
BackgroundStein, J., Pabst, A., Berger, K., Karch, A., Teismann, H., Streit, F., Grabe, H. J., Mikolajczyk, R., Massag, J., Lieb, W., et al. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1451631 · Cited by 4
“In the work of Lee and colleagues, younger people reacted to the first wave of the pandemic with increased depression, which could be almost entirely explained by increased feelings of loneliness (30).”
BackgroundJohannessen, L. E. F., Engebretsen, E., Greenhalgh, T., Hughes, G., Köhler-Olsen, J., Rasmussen, E. B., & Haldar, M. (2021) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047157 · Cited by 4
Will the Lockdown Blues Linger? Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Mental Health of Adult Populations
Eedara, B., Kaphle, S., West, S., López, V., & Cleary, M. L. (2022) · Issues in Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1080/01612840.2021.2014609 · Cited by 4
“Social distancing measures to control the spread of the virus contributed to fear, anxiety, and distress (Chandola et al., 2020; Chiesa et al., 2021; Holingue et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2020).”
BackgroundMyntti, W. W., & Armstrong, S. B. (2022) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2135377 · Cited by 4
“Groarke et al 22 found younger adults (aged 18–24) to be 4–5 times more likely to be lonely than older adults, and Lee et al 24 found an increase in loneliness in young adults when comparing pandemic measurements to pre-pandemic measurements.”
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Emotion of People Living with and without HIV
Lusher, J. M., Zúñiga, R. A. A., Virtanen, J. I., Ellakany, P., Yousaf, M. A., Osamika, B. E., Gaffar, B. O., Lawal, F. B., Khalid, Z., Aly, N. M., et al. (2023) · Hygiene · doi:10.3390/hygiene3010005 · Cited by 5
Tani, Y., Matsuyama, Y., Yamaoka, Y., Matsukura, H., Kawahara, T., & Fujiwara, T. (2023) · SSM - Population Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101430 · Cited by 4
“It was reported that younger generations were more affected by their mental well-being by lockdown compared to other age groups (Coppola et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Smith et al., 2020).”
Park, G. N., Kim, J. O., Oh, J. W., & Lee, S. (2023) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111439 · Cited by 5
Bamps, E., Achterhof, R., Lafit, G., Teixeira, A., Akcaoglu, Z., Hagemann, N., Hermans, K. S. F. M., Hiekkaranta, A. P., Janssens, J. J., Lecei, A., et al. (2024) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-024-18458-1 · Cited by 4
“Multiple studies reported an increase in loneliness in adolescents in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic [9, 10] across both social and solitary situations.”
BackgroundWolters, N. E., Mobach, L., Wuthrich, V. M., Rapee, R. M., Vonk, P., Koelen, J. A., der Heijde, C. M. V., Salemink, E., Wiers, R. W. H. J., & Klein, A. M. (2024) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/jcp-2024-0004 · Cited by 5
Addressing loneliness in emerging adults in primary care: a pilot feasibility study
Ma, K. P. K., Keiser, B., Garcia, M., Hsu, C., Cortez, K., Johnson, A., Pleho, A., Curran, M. C., Schloredt, K. A., Chan, K. C. G., et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1470725 · Cited by 4
“Unaddressed loneliness in emerging adults is associated with poorer physical and mental health, including hypertension, anxiety and depression (10), substance use (11), poor sleep (12), and long-term mental illness (13).”
Raj, M., Feldman, S. J., Platt, J. E., & Chang, T. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.03.003 · Cited by 4
“[6] The impacts of caregiving are likely compounded by additional stressors youth are facing because of the pandemic including the disruption of social, educational, and/or professional activities [7-11].”
BackgroundPromoting Compliance to COVID-19 Vaccination in Military Units
Segal, D., Arzi, Y. I., Bez, M., Cohen, M. J., Rotschield, J., Fink, N., & Karp, E. (2021) · Military Medicine · doi:10.1093/milmed/usab183 · Cited by 4
Brog, N. A., Hegy, J. K., Berger, T., & Znoj, H. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.835356 · Cited by 3
“Loneliness was assessed using the 9-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale [ULS; (49)] since several studies postulated a link between loneliness and mental health problems and the COVID19 pandemic has been reported to increase loneliness (50, 51).”
MethodKochel, K. P., Bagwell, C. L., & Abrash, R. W. (2022) · Emerging Adulthood · doi:10.1177/21676968221119946 · Cited by 4
“Several studies lend support for the hypothesis that social support from friends, family, and other special people are associated with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety (e.g., Hefner & Eisenberg, 2009; Lee et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2014) and lower levels of loneliness (Nicpon et al., 2006).”
BackgroundResultBaker, H., Gill, S. S., Aboaja, A. M., Kole, S., & Perry, A. (2022) · Psych · doi:10.3390/psych4040051 · Cited by 4
“It has been suggested that this may be because they are at a critical point in their careers, education, and social life so their mental health is most affected [26,27].”
BackgroundLafarge, C., Milani, R. M., Cahill, S., & Görzig, A. (2022) · Adversity and Resilience Science · doi:10.1007/s42844-022-00079-5 · Cited by 5
“This is particularly relevant to the youngest age group, which has been more negatively impacted by lockdown than other age groups, as shown in the present study and the wider literature (Lee et al., 2020; Li & Wang, 2020).”
BackgroundResultCalvo, V., Masaro, C., Fusco, C., Pellicelli, C., Ghedin, S., & Marogna, C. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20115960 · Cited by 3
Sense of community among virtual race participants: the case of the Illinois Marathon
Chen, G., Peachey, J. W., & Stodolska, M. (2023) · Managing Sport and Leisure · doi:10.1080/23750472.2023.2239246 · Cited by 5
“However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 2020, governments across the globe have implemented mitigation policies, such as shelter-in-place, travel restrictions, and social distancing (Lee et al., 2020; Parnell et al., 2020).”
Choi, J., Kim, K., Park, S. H., Hur, J., Yang, H., Kim, Y.-H., Lee, H., & Han, S. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54533-8 · Cited by 5
“In addition to the depression of older adult groups during the pandemic, research on the influence of depression on young adults and adolescent groups during the pandemic was conducted [48, 49].”
BackgroundKeum, B. T., Waters, E., Wong, M. J., & Salim‐Eissa, R. (2022) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.22944 · Cited by 5
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.
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