The study provides some worrying data, such as one in four young people surveyed (25.5%) claims to currently feel lonely. But if we talk about young people who have felt alone at some point in their lives, the figure increases to 69%. Furthermore, women report feeling lonely more frequently than men (31.1% compared to 20.2%). On the other hand, among the young people most vulnerable to suffering from unwanted loneliness are those in the middle age range, those who are unemployed, at risk or in poverty, who have suffered bullying at school or at work, with poor physical or mental health. mental, disabled, of foreign origin or LGTBI.
Unwanted loneliness is not due to a specific cause, but is influenced by different factors, often interrelated. Between the risk factor’scan be highlighted:
- Friendship relationships have the greatest impact on youth loneliness, more than family or work relationships. Furthermore, the publication highlights that both the quality and quantity of relationships are relevant factors.
- People who have suffered bullying at school or at work at some point in their lives find themselves more often in unwanted situations of loneliness and have a much lower degree of trust in people than those who have not suffered bullying.
- Poverty increases the risk of loneliness. People who have economic difficulties have a higher prevalence, as do those who are unemployed.
- People who reside in medium-sized municipalities (50,000 to 500,000 inhabitants) experience higher levels of loneliness, compared to those who live in rural areas or large cities.
- Other factors that present a high prevalence of unwanted loneliness are disability, sexual orientation and origin. More than half of youth (54.2%) with disabilities suffer from unwanted loneliness, and in the case of LGTBI youth, the prevalence is almost double that among heterosexuals (39.7% compared to 22.7%).
- The probability of suffering from unwanted loneliness is greater in people with mental health problems. This probability also increases for people who perceive their health status negatively or regularly.
 |
| Extract from the accessible Infographic of the study |
Finally, the report proposes a series of recommendations to reduce youth loneliness, based on actions based on preventing, detecting and intervening. The recommendations are presented grouped into eight blocks:
- Promote emotional education and inclusivity in all educational sections.
- Protect mental health in adolescence and youth
- Promote social relationships through healthy leisure
- Encourage youth participation
- Develop youth care services aimed at reducing loneliness
- Integrate and strengthen the institutional ecosystem
- Strengthen educational, employment and social inclusion policies.
- Promotion of actions to reduce unwanted loneliness through universities.
Sources and links of interest:
.png)
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.