Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Department of Teacher Education and Centre for Learning Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;59(2):171-179. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12807. Epub 2017 Sep 11.
Loneliness in childhood has a wide range of negative consequences for well-being and mental health later in life. This study reports time-trends in children's loneliness and the association between children's loneliness and psychiatric symptoms over a 24-year period.
Information on 3,749 eight-year-old Finnish-speaking children born in 1981, 1991, 1997, and 2004 was gathered at four time points from the area covered by Turku University Hospital in southwest Finland. The actual numbers of participants at these time points were 986 (1989), 891 (1999), 930 (2005), and 942 (2013), with participation rates of 86%-95%. The study design and methods were similar at every time point. Information on children's loneliness and friendships was obtained from the children and also parents and teachers evaluated how many friends children had and their psychiatric symptoms.
Approximately 20% of the children reported loneliness at each time point, 5% always felt lonely, and 25% wished they had more friends. Conduct and emotional problems, and hyperactivity were independently associated with loneliness in the multiple-regression analysis. The strength of these associations remained at similar levels over the 24-year study period. Living in a nonnuclear family, parents with a lower level of vocational education, and negative life events among the girls in the study were all associated with loneliness.
Loneliness was a common phenomenon in childhood, and no notable changes were found during the 24-year study period. Psychiatric symptoms were strongly associated with loneliness. It is important to pay attention to children's loneliness and make it an integral part of school health care. Further epidemiological research is needed.
儿童时期的孤独感会对其日后的幸福感和心理健康产生广泛的负面影响。本研究报告了儿童孤独感的时间趋势，以及在 24 年的时间里，儿童孤独感与精神症状之间的关联。
本研究收集了 1981 年、1991 年、1997 年和 2004 年出生于芬兰西南部图尔库大学医院服务区的 3749 名 8 岁芬兰语儿童的信息，在四个时间点进行了四次采集，实际参与人数分别为 1989 年的 986 人、1999 年的 891 人、2005 年的 930 人和 2013 年的 942 人，参与率为 86%-95%。每个时间点的研究设计和方法都相似。儿童的孤独感和友谊信息由儿童本人提供，父母和老师也评估了儿童有多少朋友以及他们的精神症状。
大约 20%的儿童在每个时间点报告孤独感，5%的儿童总是感到孤独，25%的儿童希望有更多的朋友。在多元回归分析中，行为和情绪问题以及多动与孤独感独立相关。在 24 年的研究期间，这些关联的强度保持在相似水平。在研究中的女孩中，生活在非核心家庭、父母受教育程度较低以及生活中的负面事件与孤独感相关。
孤独感在儿童时期是一种常见现象，在 24 年的研究期间没有发现明显变化。精神症状与孤独感密切相关。关注儿童的孤独感并将其作为学校保健的一个组成部分非常重要。需要进一步开展流行病学研究。
