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Loneliness: A Signature Mental Health Concern in the Era of COVID-19

Overview
Journal Psychiatry Res
Specialty Psychiatry
Date 2020 Jun 2
PMID 32480121
Citations 394
Authors
William D S Killgore
Sara A Cloonan
Emily C Taylor
Natalie S Dailey
Affiliations
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Abstract

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most communities in the United States imposed stay-at-home orders to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, potentially leading to chronic social isolation. During the third week of shelter-in-place guidelines, 1,013 U.S. adults completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale-3 and Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Loneliness was elevated, with 43% of respondents scoring above published cutoffs, and was strongly associated with greater depression and suicidal ideation. Loneliness is a critical public health concern that must be considered during the social isolation efforts to combat the pandemic.

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