Loneliness and Social Isolation among Transgender and Gender Diverse People

Young people's views on the acceptability and feasibility of loneliness interventions for their age group

BACKGROUND

Loneliness is a frequently reported problem for young people aged 16 to 24 years old. A variety of interventions have been developed (but in most cases not extensively evaluated) to try and tackle loneliness in this age group. These include interpersonal, intrapersonal, and social approaches that vary in their content and mechanisms of action. The current study aimed to qualitatively examine young peoples' views on the acceptability and feasibility of different loneliness interventions.

METHODS

Young people from 16 to 24 years old living in the United Kingdom who self-identified as having experienced loneliness were recruited to participate in this study. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess their views on the acceptability and feasibility of loneliness interventions for their age group. Interviews were analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Our analysis of 23 individual interview transcripts identified six themes. These related to the appropriate stage for intervention and how different types of strategies may be best suited to particular contexts; the key facilitators and barriers to engaging young people in an intervention; considerations for optimising the delivery of an intervention; divergent views on technology use in strategies to manage loneliness; the scope of an intervention and whether it takes a targeted or general approach; and the idea of combining different options within an intervention to allow tailoring to individual preferences and nature of loneliness.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate the need for continued development of individualised interventions designed to help manage loneliness in this age group. Future loneliness strategies should be co-produced with young people to ensure that they suit the varying needs of this population.

Prevalence and correlates of loneliness and social isolation in the oldest old: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression

PURPOSE

Conducting a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression regarding the prevalence and correlates of loneliness and social isolation amongst the community-dwelling and institutionalised oldest old (80 years and over).

METHODS

Three electronic databases (PsycINFO, CINAHL and Medline) were searched, including studies from inception to January 5, 2023. An additional hand search was conducted by checking included studies' references, and studies that cited included studies. We included observational studies describing the prevalence and (ideally) the correlates of loneliness, or social isolation, amongst individuals aged 80 years and over. Study design, operationalization of loneliness and social isolation, statistical analysis, characteristics of the sample and key findings were extracted. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

We included 22 studies. The estimated prevalence of severe loneliness was 27.1% (95% CI: 23.7-30.4%). The estimated prevalence of moderate loneliness equalled 32.1% (95% CI: 15.8-48.4%). Moreover, the estimated prevalence of social isolation was 33.6% (95% CI: 28.9-38.2%). There was heterogeneity between the studies. Egger tests suggest the absence of potential publication bias. Meta-regressions showed that the heterogeneity could neither be attributed to the assessment of loneliness nor to the continent where the study was conducted.

CONCLUSION

Loneliness and social isolation are important problems in the oldest old. In this age group, studies are required, in particular from regions outside Europe. Additionally, longitudinal studies are required to investigate the determinants of loneliness and social isolation amongst individuals aged 80 years and over. Studies using more sophisticated tools to quantify loneliness and social isolation are required.