Childhood loneliness as a specific risk factor for adult psychiatric disorders
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: loneliness is associated with a long-term disruption in mental health that extends into adulthood. METHODS: This study is based on the longitudinal, community-representative Great Smoky Mountains Study of 1420 participants. Participants were assessed with the structured Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment interview up to eight times in childhood (ages 9-16; 6674 observations; 1993-2000) for childhood loneliness, associated psychiatric comorbidities and childhood adversities. Participants were followed up four times in adulthood (ages 19, 21, 25, and 30; 4556 observations of 1334 participants; 1999-2015) with the structured Young Adult Psychiatric Assessment Interview for psychiatric anxiety, depression, and substance use outcomes. RESULTS: Both self and parent-reported childhood loneliness were associated with adult self-reported anxiety and depressive outcomes. The associations remained significant when childhood adversities and psychiatric comorbidities were accounted for. There was no evidence for an association of childhood loneliness with adult substance use disorders. More associations were found between childhood loneliness and adult psychiatric symptoms than with adult diagnostic status. CONCLUSION: Childhood loneliness is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders in young adults, suggesting that loneliness - even in childhood - might have long-term costs in terms of mental health. This study underscores the importance of intervening early to prevent loneliness and its sequelae over time.
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Our findings align with studies by Kehusmaa et al. and Xerxa et al., linking childhood and adolescent loneliness with anxiety and depression in young adulthood.
“Our findings align with studies by Kehusmaa et al. [29] and Xerxa et al. [30], linking childhood and adolescent loneliness with anxiety and depression in young adulthood.”
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 [30]
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- Authors
- Xerxa, Y., Rescorla, L. A., Shanahan, L., Tiemeier, H., & Copeland, W. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Vermont (US)
- Bryn Mawr College (US)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Copeland, William E.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2021-06-14
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 227-235
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- PMC
- PMC9874978
- OpenAlex
- W3166628022
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7
- FWCI
- 4.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG072459)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH117559)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD093651)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- childhood loneliness, adult psychiatric disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, substance use disorders, childhood adversity, psychiatric comorbidity, long-term mental health outcomes, early intervention, Great Smoky Mountains Study
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Anxiety Disorders, Mental Disorders, Child, Humans, Loneliness, Mental Health, Risk Factors, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult
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