ArticlePloS one2026
The dynamics of loneliness: A longitudinal exploration of transitions in Japan across the COVID-19 period, 2020-2024.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundConcerns about increased loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely reported. However, long-term trajectories of loneliness remain insufficiently described.
objectiveTo examine annual trends and five-year transition patterns of loneliness in Japan from 2020 to 2024 using data from a nationwide online panel.
methodsWe analyzed data from 1,673 adults who participated in all five annual survey waves from 2020 to 2024 and had complete information on the variables used in the analysis. Loneliness was measured using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate annual prevalence and five-year transition patterns. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using a stricter loneliness threshold.
resultsThe prevalence of loneliness peaked in 2021, declined in 2022, and remained relatively stable from 2022 to 2024. Most respondents demonstrated stable trajectories over five years, either consistently reporting loneliness or consistently not reporting loneliness. A smaller proportion exhibited transient loneliness during the pandemic period. Under the stricter loneliness threshold, the 2021 peak and the predominance of stable over transitional sequences were preserved, although the ranking of specific sequences changed.
conclusionsAmong respondents retained in this five-wave online panel, loneliness prevalence peaked in 2021, declined in 2022, and remained relatively stable from 2022 to 2024. Stable trajectories were more common than transitional trajectories. These findings provide descriptive evidence on long-term loneliness patterns but should not be interpreted as nationally representative prevalence estimates.
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.