Loneliness and friendlessness among adolescents in 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
Abstract
Background Loneliness is a common health problem among the elderly but is not well understood in the adolescent population, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Adolescent loneliness can have adverse impacts on short- and long-term health status. Methods This study examined rates of self-reported loneliness and friendlessness among 76,982 secondary school students in 25 LMICs in Latin America and the Caribbean who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). After calculating the rates of reported loneliness and lack of close friends separately for nationally representative samples of boys and girls from each country, we used meta-analysis to pool results for prevalence rates and associations across all 25 countries and territories. Results About 1 in 6 students (18.1% [95% CI: 16.4%, 20.0%]) reported being lonely most or all of the time and/or having no close friends, including 19.9% of girls and 16.2% of boys. Girls were more likely than boys to report being lonely most or all of the time (14.6% vs. 9.2%, p Conclusions Asking adolescents about both loneliness and friendships may capture the burden of social isolation among males and females better than a single question about loneliness. Successful interventions for reducing social isolation must be rooted in communities and integrated into comprehensive school and community health plans.
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The prevalence of loneliness among Indonesian female adolescents is lower than that reported in ASEAN countries (7.8%), some African countries (Morocco 25.1%, Tanzania 17.4%), Latin American and Caribbean countries (14.6%), the USA (14.4%), and Russia (14.7%).
“This finding is lower than that reported among female adolescents in ASEAN countries at 7.8% [8] and is even significantly lower than in some African countries, such as Morocco (25.1%) [6] and Tanzania (17.4%) [7]. It is also significantly lower than in the Latin American and the Caribbean countries (14.6%) [5], as well as the USA (14.4%) and Russia (14.7%) [27].”
From Prevalence and factors associated with loneliness among Indonesian female adolescents: a cross-sectional study (2022) · cites this paper as [5]
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“The significant contribution of positive social relationships has also been consistently reported elsewhere [5, 6, 11], and our study shows that adolescent girls without close friends are 3.”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Sauter, S. R., Kim, L. P., & Jacobsen, K. H.
- Affiliations
- Pepperdine University (US)
- George Mason University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Loan P.
- Venue
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-12-16
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 21-27
- ISSN
- 1475-357X (ISSN-L)
- 1475-3588
- OpenAlex
- W2994859492
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 1.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- adolescent loneliness, social isolation, adolescents, high school students, gender differences, prevalence, low- and middle-income countries, Latin America and the Caribbean, school health survey, interpersonal relationships
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Latin America, Loneliness, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Isolation, Caribbean Region, Friends
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