The COVID-19 crisis presents many challenges for managing feelings of loneliness. Risk of loneliness is greater among individuals with mental and chronic physical health conditions, however the direction of the effect is unclear. Findings on gender differences have also been mixed, with some studies reporting higher loneliness in females and others finding no effect of gender. Associations between age and loneliness have been positive, negative, and u-shaped with peaks in younger and older adulthood. Much of what we know in regard to risk factors for loneliness emerges from research with older adults, with a smaller body of research with adolescents and younger adults. Considering the drastic changes in the current social context, it is conceivable that the prevalence of situational loneliness will be high which is substantiated by the publics’ concerns regarding the impact of social isolation on mental health. Moreover, in non-pandemic contexts, evidence suggests that the prevalence of loneliness ranges from 6–76% with variations across demographic groups and countries. In particular, how psychosocial factors or factors specific to disease-containment policies might elevate or mitigate risk. While existing evidence provides a framework to understand factors which inflate vulnerability to loneliness, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how this might differ in the context of a pandemic. Systematic review findings recommend that interventions addressing loneliness should focus on individuals who are socially isolated and should target determinants of loneliness which are amenable to change. This suggests that, without intervention, prolonged loneliness can have a profound negative impact on health and wellbeing. While situational loneliness is associated with mortality risk, it is more pronounced in individuals experiencing chronic loneliness. Loneliness is associated with worse physical and mental health and increases mortality risk. Īs physical distancing rules have resulted in a decline of in-person social contact, it is suggested that rates of loneliness will rise, which may increase prevalence of mood disorders, self-harm, and suicide, and exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions. Loneliness is a priority focus if we are to fully understand the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic the UK government had identified loneliness as a significant public health issue, and it has been described as an epidemic. In fact, among the UK public, fears surrounding the psychological harms of COVID-19 are ranked above that of physical wellbeing. With UK mental health services straining to allocate resources to support the growing number of people with mental health problems pre-pandemic it is predicted that there will be an upsurge of service demand as a result of the psychological sequela of COVID-19. While this acute phase of lockdown will be loosened with decreasing cases of COVID-19, periods of physical distancing are likely to be enforced with new waves of transmission. Since this time, the UK population has experienced a considerable reduction (and in some cases a complete absence) of in-person social contact. On March 23 rd a state of lockdown was announced by UK governments across the four devolved nations. On January 31 st, 2020 the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes COVID-19, was confirmed in the UK.
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