ArticleBMC psychiatry2023
Loneliness in the Norwegian adolescent population: prevalence trends and relations to mental and self-rated health.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adolescents' health and well-being into the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-wave prospective investigation- The HUNT study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Changes in self-rated health and its association with social determinants - repeated cross-sectional surveys among Finnish adolescents from 1981 to 2025.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The moderating effect of age on loneliness and subjective remaining life expectancy among Chinese adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Cross-lagged analysis of the effect of adolescent loneliness on collective responsibility and self-improvement values.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mental health and meaning in modern life among young adults in Norway.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- The prospective association of adolescent loneliness and low resilience with anxiety and depression in young adulthood: The HUNT study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Adolescent loneliness as a predictor of adult obesity: a longitudinal analysis from the HUNT study, Norway.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Health literacy as the most important covariate of self-rated health in adolescents.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Loneliness in South African youth and its association with HIV infection, substance use and mental health.International journal of adolescence and youth · 2025Article
- Exploring the Link Between Physical Activity, Sports Participation, and Loneliness in Adolescents Before and Into the COVID-19 Pandemic: The HUNT Study, Norway.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
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5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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Abstract
backgroundLoneliness has become a significant public health problem and should be addressed with more research over a broader period. This study investigates the variations in the prevalence of loneliness among a nationally representative study population of Norwegian adolescents over the last three decades and whether age, gender, self-rated health, and mental distress are associated with these changes.
methodsAdolescents aged 13-19 years completed the structured and validated questionnaires from the three waves of the Young-HUNT Study: 1995-1997, 2006-2008, and 2017-2019. Loneliness was measured with one item asking, 'Are you lonely?'. Hopkins Symptom Checklist-5 was used to measure mental distress (cut-off ≥ 2). Self-rated health was assessed by a single question 'How is your health at the moment?' Measures were provided by self-report. Descriptive analyses were stratified by age, gender, self-rated health, and mental distress. Linear-by-Linear association test across survey years was performed to test time trends of loneliness. Logistic regression was used to analyze the cross-sectional associations of self-rated health and mental distress with loneliness, adjusting for sociodemographic factors in all three waves of Young-HUNT.
resultsLoneliness prevalence doubled from 5.9% in 1995/97 to 10.2% in 2017/19 in the total population sample. The highest loneliness prevalence and an increase from 8.9% in 1995/97 to 16.7% in 2017/19 was observed in girls of 16-19 years. Among mentally distressed adolescents, loneliness increased from 22.3% in 1995/97 to 32.8% in 2006/08 and lowered to 27% in 2017/19. Increasing loneliness prevalence was seen in those with poor self-rated health, i.e., 14.6% in 1995-97 and 26.6% in 2017-19. Mental distress and poor self-rated health were associated with higher odds of loneliness in each wave (p < 0.001).
conclusionThe results highlight the increasing burden of loneliness in the Norwegian adolescent population, especially girls. Those with mental distress and poor self-rated health have a higher risk of experiencing loneliness. Thus, health-promoting upbringing environments for children and adolescents that support mutual affinity, social support, integration, and belongingness in adolescents' daily arenas are essential.
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