Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 29;24(1):642. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18059-y.
Loneliness and belonging refer to social connectedness and are associated with young people's health; however, the relationship between these constructs and their impact on health is still being discussed. A dual continuum model of belonging and loneliness has been suggested, consisting of four groups depending on the state of loneliness and belonging: socially fulfilled (low loneliness, high belonging), socially indifferent (low loneliness, low belonging), socially searching (high loneliness, high belonging), and socially distressed (high loneliness, low belonging). The aim of this study is to examine loneliness and belonging in a Swedish sample of 17-18-years-olds who were followed over 3 years, and the associations that these aspects share with young people's psychosomatic complaints during these ages.
Swedish cohort data collected among late adolescents (age 17-18 in 2019) who were followed up in young adulthood (age 20-21 in 2022) (n = 2684) was used to examine the associations between loneliness, belonging, and psychosomatic complaints. Loneliness and belonging were measured by single items and the cross-combinations of these. Three psychosomatic complaints were assessed: stomach ache, headache, and difficulties falling asleep, and a summary index was calculated.
Linear regression analyses showed that loneliness was positively and belonging was negatively cross-sectionally associated with psychosomatic complaints. The socially fulfilled group reported fewer psychosomatic complaints compared to all other groups, while the socially distressed group reported the highest level of psychosomatic complaints. Additional adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics barely affected the estimates. The prospective analysis supported these patterns; however, after adjustment for earlier psychosomatic complaints, the only statistically significant difference in subsequent psychosomatic complaints was found between the socially fulfilled and the socially distressed groups.
Loneliness and belonging (separately and the cross-combinations of these) were cross-sectionally associated with psychosomatic complaints in late adolescence and in young adulthood. Prospectively, only the most vulnerable group in the dual continuum model, the socially distressed group, experienced more psychosomatic complaints than the socially fulfilled group, indicating a temporal relationship. Knowledge about the more nuanced links may be useful for developing specific public health recommendations and interventions for youth, targeting the most vulnerable groups.
孤独感和归属感是指社会联系，与年轻人的健康有关；然而，这些结构之间的关系及其对健康的影响仍在讨论中。归属感和孤独感的双重连续体模型已经提出，该模型由四个群体组成，取决于孤独感和归属感的状态：社会满足（低孤独感，高归属感）、社会冷漠（低孤独感，低归属感）、社会寻找（高孤独感，高归属感）和社会痛苦（高孤独感，低归属感）。本研究的目的是在一个瑞典的 17-18 岁青少年样本中检验孤独感和归属感，该样本在三年内进行了随访，并探讨这些方面与年轻人在这些年龄的身心症状之间的关联。
利用在青年期（2022 年，年龄 20-21 岁）对青少年（2019 年，年龄 17-18 岁）进行的瑞典队列数据，来检验孤独感、归属感和身心症状之间的关联。孤独感和归属感通过单项测量和这些单项的交叉组合来衡量。评估了三种身心症状：胃痛、头痛和入睡困难，并计算了一个综合指数。
线性回归分析显示，孤独感与身心症状呈正相关，归属感与身心症状呈负相关。与其他所有群体相比，社会满足组报告的身心症状较少，而社会痛苦组报告的身心症状最多。进一步调整社会人口学特征几乎没有影响估计值。前瞻性分析支持了这些模式；然而，在调整早期身心症状后，只有在社会满足组和社会痛苦组之间发现了随后身心症状的统计学显著差异。
孤独感和归属感（单独和这些的交叉组合）与青少年晚期和青年期的身心症状呈横断面相关。前瞻性地，只有双重连续体模型中最脆弱的群体，即社会痛苦群体，比社会满足群体经历了更多的身心症状，表明存在时间关系。了解这些更细微的联系可能有助于为年轻人制定特定的公共卫生建议和干预措施，针对最脆弱的群体。
