Social,Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre,Institute of Psychiatry,Psychology and Neuroscience,King's College London,London SE5 8AF,UK.
Department of Public Health,School of Social Sciences,Humanities and Arts,University of California,Merced,CA,USA.
Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):268-277. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718000788. Epub 2018 Apr 24.
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.
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.
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.
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.
本研究旨在从当前健康和功能状况以及童年经历和环境的角度,构建年轻人孤独感相关因素的详细综合特征。
数据来自环境风险纵向双胞胎研究,这是一项出生队列研究,共有 2232 名 1994 年和 1995 年在英格兰和威尔士出生的个体。当参与者年龄为 18 岁时,测量孤独感。回归分析用于测试年轻人孤独感与健康和功能的并发关联。进行纵向分析以研究与年轻人孤独感相关的童年因素。
更孤独的年轻人更有可能出现心理健康问题,从事身体健康风险行为,并使用更多消极的应对压力的策略。他们对自己的就业前景缺乏信心,更有可能失业。作为孩子,更孤独的年轻人更有可能有心理健康问题,并且经历过欺凌和社交孤立。孤独感在性别和社会经济背景中均匀分布。
年轻人的孤独感与各种问题同时发生,这可能对他们以后的健康产生影响。这些发现强调了早期干预的重要性,以防止孤独的年轻人随着年龄的增长而陷入孤独。