Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2021
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during COVID-19 with 6% retrospectively reporting severe loneliness prior to the pandemic. A fifth were defined as isolated based on their usual connections, with 13% reporting a substantial increase in isolation during COVID-19. Personal finances and mental health were overarching and consistently cross-cutting predictors of loneliness and social isolation, both before and during the pandemic. With the likelihood of future waves of COVID-19 and related restrictions, it must be a public health priority to address the root causes of loneliness and social isolation and, in particular, address the needs of specific groups such as carers or those living alone.
DOI
10.3390/ijerph18199982
MSU Digital Commons Citation
O’Sullivan, Roger; Burns, Annette; Leavey, Gerard; Leroi, Iracema; Burholt, Vanessa; Lubben, James; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne; Victor, Christina; Lawlor, Brian; Vilar-Compte, Mireya; Perissinotto, Carla M.; Tully, Mark A.; Sullivan, Mary Pat; Rosato, Michael; McHugh Power, Joanna; Tiilikainen, Elisa; and Prohaska, Thomas R., "Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on loneliness and social isolation: A multi-country study" (2021). Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works. 198.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/public-health-facpubs/198
Published Citation
O’sullivan, Roger, Annette Burns, Gerard Leavey, Iracema Leroi, Vanessa Burholt, James Lubben, Julianne Holt-Lunstad et al. "Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on loneliness and social isolation: A multi-country study." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 19 (2021): 9982.
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Clinical Epidemiology Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Influenza Virus Vaccines Commons, International Public Health Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Patient Safety Commons, Psychology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Women's Health Commons
Comments
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).