Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19 (original) (raw)
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Social Isolation in Times of COVID-19: Effects on Adolescents' Mental Health
Asian Journal of Pediatric Research, 2021
Introduction: The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus forced the adoption of several measures for individual and collective protection measures, including isolation, which interrupted direct social contact and started to draw the attention of researchers due to its potential risk of damage to people’s mental health, notably for the most sensitive groups, such as adolescents. Aim: This article presents some emotional repercussions observed in groups of adolescents, after six months of social isolation. Methodology: Literature retrieved through Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Scielo, and Cochrane Library databases related to the mental health of adolescents during the period of social isolation determined by the coronavirus pandemic, published between January and July 2020. Results: The studies have found manifestations ranging from mild symptoms, such as boredom, inattention, agitation, irritability, fatigue and excessive worries to those of greater magnitude, such as w...
Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 2022
The aim of the present study is to determine the relationship between loneliness and depression felt by adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and Methods: The study sample consisted of 423 adolescents who volunteered to participate in the study. All participants had internet access and the cognitive ability to express themselves. The participants filled out the Google Documents form that included the "Socio-demographic Data Form," "Children's Depression Inventory," and "Short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale" to collect data. Findings: It was determined that the depression inventory total mean score of the adolescents participating in the study was 55.15 ± 2.88 (high) and the loneliness scale total mean score was 16.43 ± 4.93 (medium). A statistically positive high correlation was found between the depression total mean scores and the loneliness total mean scores of the adolescents (p < 0.05). As the loneliness levels of the adolescents increased, their depression levels increased. Practice Implications: Adolescents were more likely to experience mental disorders such as loneliness and depression during and after the pandemic. Governments should focus on the mental health of adolescents in the management of COVID-19. Clinical services should plan and implement prevention activities, support programs, and services to replace early diagnosis and intervention.
Loneliness, social relationships, and mental health in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2021
Loneliness is a common experience in adolescence and is related to a range of mental health problems. Such feelings may have been increased by social distancing measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate the effect of loneliness, social contact, and parent relationships on adolescent mental health during lockdown in the UK. Young people aged 11-16 years (n = 894) completed measures of loneliness, social contact, parent-adolescent relationships, and mental health difficulties during the first 11 weeks of lockdown and one-month later (n = 443). We examined cross-sectional associations and longitudinal relationships between loneliness, social contact, and parent relationships and subsequent mental health. Adolescents who reported higher loneliness had significantly higher symptoms of mental health difficulties during lockdown. We found that adolescents who had closer relationships with their parents reported significantly less severe symptoms of mental health difficulties and lower levels of loneliness. We also found that adolescents who spent more time texting others reported higher symptoms of mental health difficulties. Our hypothesis that loneliness would predict poorer mental health one month later was not supported. Time spent texting others at baseline was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity at follow-up, and closeness to parents was significantly associated with lower psychological distress at follow-up. We conclude that while loneliness was associated with greater mental health difficulties at baseline, it did not predict increased mental health difficulties one month later. Moreover, existing mental health problems significantly predicted later increased mental health difficulties, thereby highlighting the importance of continuing support for vulnerable people.
COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
Background: Loneliness is known to be associated with both poorer physical and mental health, being associated with increased mortality. Responses throughout the world to the current COVID-19 pandemic all incorporate varying degrees of social distancing and isolation. There is an imperative to provide a timely review and synthesis of the impact of COVID-19 on loneliness in the general population. Methods: PubMed was searched using the key terms ‘COVID-19’, ‘coronavirus’, ‘SARS-COV2’ and ‘loneliness’. Fifty-four articles were identified and screened against the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria stipulated that the study needed to incorporate a measure of loneliness with participants being drawn from the general adult population. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: The key data extracted from the 24 reviewed studies are presented and summarised with a focus on key demographics of participants, the research designs utilised, the measures of loneliness empl...
Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review with meta-analysis
American Psychologist
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures aimed at its mitigation, such as physical distancing, have been discussed as risk factors for loneliness, which increases the risk of premature mortality and mental and physical health conditions. To ascertain whether loneliness has increased since the start of the pandemic, this study aimed to narratively and statistically synthesize relevant high-quality primary studies. This systematic review with meta-analysis was registered at PROSPERO (ID CRD42021246771). Searched databases were PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library/Central Register of Controlled Trials/EMBASE/CINAHL, Web of Science, the WHO COVID-19 Database, supplemented by Google Scholar and citation searching (cutoff date of the systematic search 05/12/2021). Summary data from prospective research including loneliness assessments before and during the pandemic were extracted. Of 6,850 retrieved records, 34 studies (23 longitudinal, 9 pseudolongitudinal, 2 reporting both designs) on 215,026 participants were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was estimated using the ROBINS-I tool. Standardized mean differences (SMD, Hedges' g) for continuous loneliness values and logOR for loneliness prevalence rates were calculated as pooled effect size estimators in random-effects meta-analyses. Pooling studies with longitudinal designs only (overall N=45,734), loneliness scores (19 studies, SMD=0.27 [95% confidence interval=0.14-0.40], Z=4.02, p<.001, I 2 =98%) and prevalence rates (8 studies, logOR=0.33 [0.04-0.62], Z=2.25, p=.02, I 2 =96%) increased relative to pre-pandemic times with small effect sizes. Results were robust with respect to studies' overall RoB, pseudo-longitudinal designs, timing of pre-pandemic assessments, and clinical populations. The heterogeneity of effects indicates a need to further investigate risk and protective factors as the pandemic progresses to inform targeted interventions.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during COVID-19 with 6% retrospectively reporting severe loneliness prior to the pandemic. A fifth were defined as isolated based on their usual connections, with 13% reporting a substantial increase in isolation during COVID-19. Personal finances and mental health were overarching and consistently cross-cutting pre...
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), 2022
The spread of the coronavirus disesase 2019 (COVID-19) virus is relatively fast and has infected hundreds of countries. The number of people suffering from COVID-19 continues to increase and is increasingly concerning. To reduce the possibility of spreading the Coronavirus, which is easily contagious, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises the public to maintain a safe distance from other people through physical distancing. This study is a systematic review using the preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes (PRISMA) method using 454 articles from online journal databases. The databases used in the literature search were Pubmed, Science Direct, Sage, Emerald, and Proquest from 2020-2021. Based on the inclusion and exclusion characteristics, there were 8 of 454 articles met the inclusion criteria, and select for in-depth analysis. Physical distancing policy has an impact on adolescent mental health. Some of the mental disorders experienced by adolescents include feeling lonely, anxious, stressed, psychiatric disorders, to emotional disturbances. Boys have a higher increase in mental health problems than girls. We need a social network and social support specifically in adolescents to maintain physical distancing during the adolescent mental health policy in the COVID-19.
Loneliness in the time of COVID-19: an alarming rise
The Lancet, 2023
It has been 3 years since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Globally, WHO reports 764 474 387 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 6·9 million deaths at the time of writing this letter. The pandemic has brought about a plethora of health challenges, both physical and mental. Among these challenges, the sense of isolation and loneliness experienced by many people is particularly noteworthy. Consider a scenario where a person was away from home for work purposes but became stranded due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, during this period, the person’s mother passed away due to COVID-19. Regrettably, pandemicrelated travel restrictions prevented the individual from returning home to pay their last respects to their deceased mother. The person had no one to confide in personally. Months later, when the restrictions eased, the person returned to work but struggled to connect with their colleagues and chose to isolate themself from others. The experience left the person feeling lonely and isolated. The emotional toll of this traumatic event is unimaginable.1 This person is not the only one who feels the weight of loneliness, as many adults have been hit hard by this feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Unfortunately, these feelings are likely to continue and experts are concerned about the potential for loneliness to become a chronic issue. If left unaddressed, chronic loneliness can lead to various severe mental and physical health conditions.3 It is crucial for the medical community to recognise the impact of loneliness on individuals and take steps to address it. Loneliness is a painful, subjective experience characterised by a feeling of insufficient or unsatisfactory desired social connections. Loneliness can result in unhealthy behaviours, such as poor sleeping patterns, lack of exercise, and unhealthy dietary habits, which can contribute to an increased risk of premature mortality by 26% if not appropriately dealt with.4 Moreover, loneliness is believed to be associated with the adverse effects of chronic stress on the body, including inflammation, weakened immune function, and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.4 Health-care providers can incorporate screening for social isolation and loneliness into routine assessments and develop care plans that address these issues to avoid any further mental health-related concerns due to any novel illnesses.
Impact of Social Isolation on Mental Health Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Survey
2021
Background: Although social isolation is known to limit the spread of a pandemic, the impact of mental health for such measures is yet unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the impact on mental health among different age groups due to social isolation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted a carefully designed cross sectional survey on mental health that was disseminated widely by way of email, personal contact and social media to subjects aged between 11 and >70 years. For our analysis we stratified data into three distinct groups: children/young adults (11-40), middle age (40-60) and older adult age (> 60) groups. 3214 respondents answered the survey. Bonferroni corrected Chi-square tests were used to find significant relationships between the demographic groups and mental health related variables. Results: We observed a high percentage of insomnia (79%) in old age respondants compared to children/young adults (61%)...