Lonely young adults in modern Britain: findings from an epidemiological cohort study
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Background: The aim of this study was to build a detailed, integrative profile of the correlates of young adults’ feelings of loneliness, in terms of their current health and functioning and their childhood experiences and circumstances. Methods: Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study, a birth cohort of 2232 individuals born in England and Wales in 1994 and 1995. Loneliness was measured when participants were aged 18. Regression analyses were used to test concurrent associations between loneliness and health and functioning in young adulthood. Longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine childhood factors associated with young adult loneliness. Results: Lonelier young adults were more likely to experience mental health problems, to engage in physical health risk behaviours, and to use more negative strategies to cope with stress. They were less confident in their employment prospects and were more likely to be out of work. Lonelier young adults were, as children, more likely to have had mental health difficulties and to have experienced bullying and social isolation. Loneliness was evenly distributed across genders and socioeconomic backgrounds. Conclusions: Young adults’ experience of loneliness co-occurs with a diverse range of problems, with potential implications for health in later life. The findings underscore the importance of early intervention to prevent lonely young adults from being trapped in loneliness as they age.
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Lack of social support and loneliness are associated with emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.
“Lack of social support and loneliness are, in turn, associated with emotional problems such as anxiety and depression (e.g., Matthews et al., 2019, Richardson et al., 2017).”
From Young Adult Adaptability to the Social Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Protective Role of Friendships (2022) · cites this paper as Matthews et al., 2019
The Results section, “Correlates of loneliness in young adulthood” (page not provided), reports that loneliness was strongly associated with depression and anxiety in 18-year-olds. The cited paper does not establish the separate claim that lack of social support is associated with those problems; its discussion of supportive relationships does not test that association. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLonelier individuals may exhibit disrupted emotional regulation, leading to increased negative emotions and a higher propensity for risky health behaviors, which could impact future mental health outcomes.
“Lonelier individuals may exhibit disrupted emotional regulation, leading to increased negative emotions and a higher propensity for risky health behaviors, which could impact future mental health outcomes [90].”
From The prospective association of adolescent loneliness and low resilience with anxiety and depression in young adulthood: The HUNT study (2025) · cites this paper as [90]
The Results (Correlates of loneliness in young adulthood; page unavailable) associate loneliness with negative coping strategies, depression and anxiety, less physical activity, and daily smoking. The paper does not establish disrupted emotional regulation as the mechanism or show that these behaviours lead to future mental health outcomes; its Discussion raises concern about later physical health outcomes instead. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe present findings parallel a national study of young adults in the United Kingdom before the COVID-19 crisis.
“Although financial stress can be linked to the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present findings parallel a national study of young adults in the United Kingdom before the COVID-19 crisis (Matthews et al., 2019).”
From Young Adult Adaptability to the Social Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Protective Role of Friendships (2022) · cites this paper as Matthews et al., 2019
Social isolation and loneliness are strongly linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts across life.
“A major adverse consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be increased social isolation and loneliness (as reflected in our surveys),4 which are strongly associated with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts across the lifespan.24, 25”
From Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science (2020) · cites this paper as [25]
Individuals who engage with digital technology in a compulsive manner, or in ways that interfere with day-to-day responsibilities, may be more vulnerable to loneliness.
“Similarly, individuals who engage with digital technology in a compulsive manner, or in ways that interfere with their day‐to‐day responsibilities, may be more vulnerable to loneliness. 17”
From Social media use, online experiences, and loneliness among young adults: A cohort study (2025) · cites this paper as [17]
Patterns of technology use could be markers of risk for loneliness.
“it supports previous findings that patterns of technology use could be markers of risk for loneliness. 17”
From Social media use, online experiences, and loneliness among young adults: A cohort study (2025) · cites this paper as [17]
Prior studies have shown an association between bullying victimization during adolescence and loneliness in adolescence or young adulthood.
“Previous studies have shown an association between bullying victimization during adolescence and loneliness in adolescence [14] or young adulthood [19, 20].”
From Predictors of chronic loneliness during adolescence: a population-based cohort study (2022) · cites this paper as [19]
The findings are consistent with previous results that showed a positive association between childhood bullying victimization and loneliness in young adulthood.
“Our findings are consistent with previous results that showed a positive association between childhood bullying victimization and loneliness in young adulthood [19, 20].”
From Predictors of chronic loneliness during adolescence: a population-based cohort study (2022) · cites this paper as [19]
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“However, individuals vary in their susceptibility to feeling lonely, and there is evidence that this vulnerability could be shaped by adverse peer experiences earlier in life, such as being the victim of violence (Matthews et al., 2019).”
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- Authors
- Matthews, T., Danese, A., Caspi, A., Fisher, H. L., Goldman-Mellor, S., Kepa, A., Moffitt, T. E., Odgers, C. L., & Arseneault, L.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Duke University (US)
- University of California, Merced (US)
- Corresponding author
- Arseneault, Louise
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2018-04-24
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 268-277
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- PMC
- PMC6076992
- OpenAlex
- W2797004786
- Cited by
- 381
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 61 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 34.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- MQ: Transforming Mental Health (MQ14F40)
- Nuffield Foundation
- Jacobs Foundation (G1002190, HD077482)
- Medical Research Council (HD077482, G1002190, MR/P005918/1)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/P010113/1)
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (G1002190, HD077482)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD065563, R01HD077482)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- loneliness, young adults, mental illness, stress coping strategies, unemployment, childhood bullying, social isolation, child mental health, socioeconomic status, gender differences, Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study, early intervention
- MeSH terms
- Health Risk Behaviors, Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Behavioral Symptoms, Employment, England, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Social Isolation, Wales, Bullying
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