Trajectories of Loneliness During COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Mental Health and Substance Use

Overview

Journal J Res Adolesc

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychology

Date 2023 Feb 15

PMID 36788471

Authors

Jennifer M Cadigan

Brian H Calhoun

Isaac C Rhew

Christine M Lee

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We examined patterns of longitudinal trajectories of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic using six time points (January 2020 [pre-pandemic] to March/April 2021) and whether trajectories were associated with psychological distress (depression/anxiety) and substance use (alcohol/cannabis) outcomes in Spring 2021. Participants were 644 young adults who completed online assessments. Outcomes were regressed on most-likely loneliness trajectory adjusting for pre-pandemic measures. Three loneliness trajectories varied from consistently lower to consistently higher. Pre-pandemic social support was associated with lower odds of a higher loneliness trajectory. Higher loneliness trajectories were associated with greater odds of past-month cannabis use compared to Low trajectories, but not significantly associated with depression, anxiety, or alcohol use in Spring 2021. Interventions addressing co-occurring loneliness and cannabis use are needed.

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