ArticlePloS one2020
Loneliness in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional results from the COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 372 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
372 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 730 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social connection interventions and depression in young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Pooled it
- Belongingness and loneliness in higher education: a meta-analysis of pre- and post-pandemic trends.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Do people perceive benefits in the use of social prescribing to address loneliness and/or social isolation? A qualitative meta-synthesis of the literature.BMC health services research · 2022Pooled it
- Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- Investigating the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom: Systematic review and meta-analyses.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2022Pooled it
- One year on: What we have learned about the psychological effects of COVID-19 social restrictions: A meta-analysis.Current opinion in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Psychological impact of the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic on the general European adult population: a systematic review of the evidence.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Housing environment and mental health of Europeans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-country comparison.Scientific reports · 2022Pooled it
- Assessing a facilitated social network intervention for health outcomes in lonely and socially isolated people: the pragmatic, cluster-randomized PALS trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- The effects of the Unified Protocol and Unified Protocol skills on loneliness in the COVID-19 pandemic.Depression and anxiety · 2022Trial
- Measuring loneliness at a national scale: The measuring loneliness in England (INTERACT) study's approach and initial findings.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- Mental Health Correlates of Problematic Smartphone Use Among Multicultural Adolescents: The Findings From a National Survey in South Korea.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Predictors of Loneliness, Mental Wellbeing, and Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland.International journal of public health · 2026Article
- Deaths of despair before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis of 27 European countries and the United States.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Protecting affiliation during pandemic crises: a capabilities approach for public health ethical deliberation.Global bioethics = Problemi di bioetica · 2026Article
- Adolescent wellbeing after COVID-related school-closings.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Psychosocial Predictors of Anxiety and Depression in Community-Dwelling Older Adults During a Prolonged Infectious Disease Crisis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Longitudinal trajectories of social isolation and loneliness across the lifespan during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic and survival outcomes among breast cancer survivors.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2025Article
- Investigating the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on coastal communities in East Sussex, UK: a qualitative analysis.BMJ open · 2025Article
312 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesLoneliness is a significant public health issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lockdown measures limiting social contact. The UK public are worried about the impact of these measures on mental health outcomes. Understanding the prevalence and predictors of loneliness at this time is a priority issue for research.
methodThe study employed a cross-sectional online survey design. Baseline data collected between March 23rd and April 24th 2020 from UK adults in the COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study were analysed (N = 1964, 18-87 years, M = 37.11, SD = 12.86, 70% female). Logistic regression analysis examined the influence of sociodemographic, social, health and COVID-19 specific factors on loneliness.
resultsThe prevalence of loneliness was 27% (530/1964). Risk factors for loneliness were younger age group (OR: 4.67-5.31), being separated or divorced (OR: 2.29), scores meeting clinical criteria for depression (OR: 1.74), greater emotion regulation difficulties (OR: 1.04), and poor quality sleep due to the COVID-19 crisis (OR: 1.30). Higher levels of social support (OR: 0.92), being married/co-habiting (OR: 0.35) and living with a greater number of adults (OR: 0.87) were protective factors.
conclusionsRates of loneliness during the initial phase of lockdown were high. Risk factors were not specific to the COVID-19 crisis. Findings suggest that supportive interventions to reduce loneliness should prioritise younger people and those with mental health symptoms. Improving emotion regulation and sleep quality, and increasing social support may be optimal initial targets to reduce the impact of COVID-19 regulations on mental health outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.