Children and adolescents feel increasingly lonely

Loneliness is a hidden reality, not widely accepted socially, one of the many taboos surrounding emotional discomfort, but that doesn't make it any less real.

We often confuse being alone with feeling lonely, and we tend to believe that loneliness is something for older people.

Social isolation (being alone) is the objective state in which the person's network of social contacts (family or friends) is small, distant or not trusted to provide support in case of need. While loneliness (feeling alone) is a subjective experience or perception in relation to the quantity and quality of social relationships, of a lack of connection with others. When we talk about loneliness, we are therefore talking about the feeling of a mismatch between the social relationships that one has and those that one would like to have. With this, feeling alone does not necessarily mean being alone, nor does being alone necessarily mean feeling alone.

The pandemic has highlighted that loneliness exists more than ever and, not only that, but adolescents and young people increasingly feel lonelier, are less satisfied with their lives and suffer more social isolation .

Compared to other age groups, adolescents are more susceptible to developing feelings of loneliness. According to the Spain 2020 Report , prepared by the Amoris Laetitia Chair and the Casa Familia Foundation, and focused on the Community of Madrid, before the pandemic, 31% of young people under 30 felt lonely, while 14.7% of people over 60 expressed this feeling. And as has been seen in other studies, this feeling of loneliness can triple the risk of these children and adolescents developing depression in the future, and the impact of loneliness and depressive symptoms could last for years (Loades et al., 2020).

The difficulties some adolescents have in adapting to the changes inherent in the transition to adulthood, which also affect various social contexts, increase the feeling of loneliness. Psychologist Maria Elías points out in her article in FAROS that “ during adolescence, a process of autonomy and distancing from parents occurs, while the relationship with peers takes on a very high importance and becomes more complex ” . And many adolescents have experienced this situation at the same time as restrictions on activities and physical contact with peers during the pandemic, thus multiplying the likelihood of feeling lonely.

Strong, quality family relationships with good communication can help children and adolescents prevent and combat loneliness, as can good relationships with peers, favorable social and economic situations, or even having a romantic partner.

The consequences of loneliness in children and adolescents can not only affect their current psychosocial and emotional development (sadness, boredom, feelings of isolation and exclusion, discomfort, feelings of emptiness, etc.), but can also have a significant impact on mental and physical health in adulthood (more likely to develop depression, anxiety, poorer sleep quality, greater risk of suicide, physiological changes, etc.).

Many young people see how this feeling of loneliness is gradually reducing as the restrictive measures of the pandemic are relaxed and social contacts can be resumed. But it is also essential that all professionals pay attention, not only to the adolescent himself, but also to his network of coexistence and relationships, from a community perspective.

Guidelines for professionals working with young people

Barcelona City Council, within the framework of its Municipal Strategy against Loneliness 2020-2030 , has published a guide aimed at professionals who work with young people and adolescents, which provides some recommendations in this regard. Below we present some of them:

Scope of the young person

• Know the young person's relational and time-use map.
• Detect their interests and motivations.
• Generate spaces of trust.
• Detect risky situations.

Scope of the coexistence network

• Knowing the family and living situation.
• Develop strategies that allow the physical and emotional well-being of cohabitants.
• Promote positive emotional relationships.

Scope of the network of proximity relationships

• Detect the risk of isolation from friendships or situations of harassment.
• Promote diverse, positive and empowering activities for the adolescent, preferably in a group.
• Advise and support you in your academic/work project.
• Support and advise on the use of social networks and new technologies.

Scope of the community dimension

• Implement joint strategies between professionals and youth organizations in the territories.
• Promote actions that promote social relations in the territory and facilitate young people's knowledge of these actions, promoting spaces free from discrimination.
• Promote associations and volunteering.

Together we must ensure that young people are not alone or feel alone.