Loneliness and mental health at the early stages of the Covid‐19 pandemic in England

Abstract

First of all, it is important to note that loneliness and isolation are two distinct concepts (Cacioppo et al., 2014). Indeed, it is possible to be lonely in the presence of other people or comparatively, be isolated from others without necessarily meaning you are lonely.Rather, loneliness is experienced when a person does not achieve the amount of, or quality of human connection and interaction as desired (Hawkley et al., 2008). The physical and psychological implications of loneliness are heavily researched. Loneliness is strongly associated with premature mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010), heart disease (Williams, 2016), problematic substance use (McKay et al., 2017) and the development of Alzheimer's disease (Donovan et al., 2016). Further, loneliness can be a risk factor for developing

Lost Connections: Why the Growing Crisis of Loneliness Matters for Planetary Health

“…The negative relationship between human flourishing and loneliness appears to be to be bidirectional, and therefore potentially self-perpetuating [15]. In other words, the physical and emotional consequences of loneliness add to social withdrawal, further magnifying community disintegration, lack of support, resentment, fear, and isolation.…”

Psychometric Evaluation of a Fear of COVID-19 Scale in China: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

“…With time, an increasing number of COVID-19 variants was reported globally [5]. COVID-19 is not only life-threatening, but it also leads to psychological distress [6][7][8][9][10]. The concomitant public health measures such as quarantines, social distancing, and lockdowns can also increase psychosocial distress.…”