Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2020-08, Vol.290, p.113117-113117, Article 113117
• Main Authors: Killgore, William D.S., Cloonan, Sara A., Taylor, Emily C., Dailey, Natalie S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Affective Symptoms - epidemiology; Affective Symptoms - psychology; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Loneliness - psychology; Male; Mental Health; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - psychology; Quarantine - psychology; SARS-CoV-2; Social Isolation - psychology; Suicidal Ideation; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117

•The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of the populace to self-isolate.•Loneliness is significantly higher than normal during the COVID-19 pandemic.•Loneliness was associated with increased depression and suicidal ideation.•Public health efforts must address increased loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.