Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
School of Education, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
J Public Health (Oxf). 2023 Aug 28;45(3):663-675. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad053.
Loneliness is a growing public health concern, but little is known about how place affects loneliness, especially during adolescence. This is the first study to examine the influence of neighbourhoods on loneliness in early-to-mid adolescence.
Baseline data from the #BeeWell cohort study in Greater Manchester (England), including 36 141 adolescents (aged 12-15 years) across 1590 neighbourhoods, were linked to neighbourhood characteristics using administrative data at the level of lower super output areas and analysed using multilevel regression.
Neighbourhood differences explained 1.18% of the variation in loneliness. Ethnic, gender and sexual orientation inequalities in loneliness varied across neighbourhoods. Several neighbourhood characteristics predicted loneliness at the individual level, including skills deprivation among children and young people, lower population density and perceptions of the local area (feeling safe; trust in local people; feeling supported by local people; seeing neighbours as helpful; the availability of good places to spend free time). Finally, a longer distance from home to school was associated with significantly higher loneliness.
Neighbourhoods account for a small but significant proportion of the variation in adolescent loneliness, with some neighbourhood characteristics predicting loneliness at the individual level, and loneliness disparities for some groups differing across neighbourhoods.
孤独感是一个日益严重的公共卫生问题，但人们对环境如何影响孤独感知之甚少，尤其是在青少年时期。这是第一项研究邻里环境对青少年早期至中期孤独感影响的研究。
利用英格兰大曼彻斯特地区 #BeeWell 队列研究的基线数据（包括来自 1590 个邻里的 36141 名 12-15 岁青少年），并将其与邻里特征相关联，采用较低的超级输出区（lower super output areas）的行政数据进行分析，使用多层次回归进行分析。
邻里差异解释了孤独感变异的 1.18%。邻里之间存在孤独感的种族、性别和性取向不平等现象。一些邻里特征可以预测个体层面的孤独感，包括儿童和青年技能匮乏、人口密度较低以及对当地环境的认知（感到安全；信任当地人；感到得到当地人的支持；认为邻居乐于助人；有很多可以消磨闲暇时间的好地方）。最后，家到学校的距离较远与孤独感显著增加有关。
邻里环境对青少年孤独感的变异有一定影响，虽然影响较小，但具有统计学意义，一些邻里特征可以预测个体层面的孤独感，而且一些群体的孤独感差异在不同邻里之间也有所不同。
