Our study ”Being young in times of uncertainty and isolation: adolescents’ experiences of well-being, health and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic” was published in the journal International Journal of Adolescence and Youth in January 2024. This study is part of one of our studies within our project that started 2019 on Loneliness among adolescents and young adults in Swedish Finland lead by associate professors Jessica Hemberg and Pia Nyman-Kurkiala. Link to the project: https://research.abo.fi/en/projects/loneliness-and-adolescents
Loneliness has according to The World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Connection been declared as a global public health concern, linking social isolation and loneliness to serious and still as yet underrecognized impacts on health and lifespan. It is estimated that about 20 percent of adolescents and young adults worldwide experience mental health problems, while up to 15 % of adolescents experience loneliness (WHO, 2023). During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only were adolescents’ and young adults’ well-being and health affected but also their development. This can be related to reduced possibilities for real-life peer interactions, worry about the uncertain future, and anxiety about the threat to self, family and friends (The Lancet Child Adolescent Health, 2020). Those born between 1995 and 2012, “Generation Z”, were found to be at greater risk of mental illness and insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic (Middleton et al., 2021). In Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiences of loneliness were seen to have increased among more than half of students in higher education (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, 2021).
Although the imminent threat to global health can be said to have passed, it important to further explore the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact and possible after-effects on adolescents and young adults. Additional and more focused research is needed because large gaps exist in the literature on COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health outcomes and after-effects specific to adolescents and young adults (Racine et al., 2020). As seen in Finland, adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health continues to decline (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, 2023), therefore more understanding of how their mental health and well-being can be strengthened should be sought.
The aim of the study was to explore adolescents’ and young adults’ experiences of well-being, health and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative exploratory design with qualitative content analysis was used. A total of 23 Swedish-speaking participants aged 19-27 years (four men and 19 women) were interviewed individually, in the Swedish language, and included in the study. The data was analysed in accordance with content analysis described by Graneheim and Lundman (2004). Participants gave their informed consent. Ethical guidelines from the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, TENK (2023) were followed throughout the entire project.
The findings revealed four main categories: 1. Changed social networks – fewer and closer contacts, 2. Changed mental and physical health, 3. Increased isolation and social loneliness and 4. Well-being, internal growth and need for support. The adolescents and young adults in this study experienced changed social networks, fewer and closer contacts, and changes in their mental and physical health and well-being. They even experienced internal growth but also the need for support, and their experiences of isolation and social loneliness increased.
We saw that the participants’ opportunities to create new social ties and preserve existing social contacts deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic (cf. Branje & Morris, 2021; Branquinho et al., 2020). In this study, those who had previously had a rich social life or need for social contacts experienced decreased well-being, because of a lack of social contacts. Some of the participants experienced that they were able to cope and/or manage during the COVID-19 pandemic because their family and/or friends constituted sufficient social contact. Family relationships have been found to play a major role in how effectively adolescents adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic (Campione-Barr et al., 2021; Miconi et al., 2021), with insecure attachment being linked to increased loneliness among adolescents (Janssens et al., 2021).
Those participants in this study who had experienced loneliness prior to the COVID-19 pandemic experienced more loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, seen as both isolation and social loneliness. They also experienced decreased well-being and became more apathetic. Further researchers have seen that adolescents who were more vulnerable before the COVID-19 pandemic reported the most negative changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including higher stress (Groarke et al. 2020; Hicks et al. 2021; Liang et al. 2021; van Loon et al., 2021). Other significant predictors of loneliness among adolescents can be a personal background that includes previous depression, anxiety or dissatisfaction with life and/or having depression at the time of COVID-19 pandemic (Al Omari et al., 2020).
In this study, social loneliness was linked to not being able to spend time together with others (peers) and not being allowed to be oneself in a social context. This can be compared to Eriksson (1993), who states that loneliness occurs when the human being lacks relationships, experiences lovelessness or feels socially lonely. Some of the participants experienced increased loneliness simultaneous with fewer but closer close relationships. Other participants who had not been so social prior to the COVID-19 pandemic could experience increased well-being through having fewer but closer contacts. In this study, we found that online interaction could momentarily provide relief against a sense of depression or low-spiritedness but that adolescents’ and young adults’ feelings of loneliness were not diminished by such contact because it did not constitute “deep” contact.
From the findings, we even discerned that engaging in decreased social interaction could for adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lead to increased depressed mood and even strengthened well-being (cf. Koenig et al., 2021). We even found that the lack of social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase the well-being of those who were not typically socially outgoing; there was no need and/or pressure to attend social gatherings.
Many of the participants in this study experienced increased fatigue and depressed mood. It can be challenging for adolescents and young adults to be isolated for whatever reason: a pandemic, feeling like an outsider, etc. As seen in this study, having to cease engaging in positive and pleasurable things can for adolescents and young adults lead to negative thoughts about oneself, reduced energy for activities of daily living, apathy and/or disinterest in schoolwork. This is turn can perpetuate a vicious cycle (cf. Sundqvist & Hemberg, 2021).
In this study, some participants who had previously enjoyed being alone experienced the significant increase in time spent alone during the COVID-19 pandemic to be burdensome. Alt et al. (2021) found that highly extroverted adolescents experienced a greater increase in depressive symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns, with most experiencing increased loneliness. However, we even saw that one participant who had experienced more loneliness previously, linked to a sense of not fitting in, no longer needed “an excuse” to spend time alone.
Many of the participants experienced changed mental and physical health. In this study, the participants described increased anxiety (cf. Branquinho et al., 2020) related to, among other things, uncertainty about the future. Also, a sense of depression or low-spiritedness could affect the participants’ motivation and desire to do something, e.g., engage in physical exercise or study. Cancelled courses/classes and too few activities could lead to symptoms of depression for some participants. Some participants revealed that watching movies helped them manage difficult thoughts. The physical health and well-being of many of the participants included in this study deteriorated; their self-discipline and/or motivation to engage in physical exercise decreased or they primarily spent time indoors, which reduced everyday exercise (cf. Łuszczki et al., 2020). Yet the physical health and well-being of some participants increased, especially those who had been very physically active before the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-blame and thoughts of worthlessness were even seen among the participants in this study. Most of those participants with existing and/or past health problems and/or depression, which are possible predictors of loneliness, experienced worsened illnesses/conditions (cf. Al Omari et al., 2020). For example, one participant’s eating disorder significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Changed daily routines, e.g., not needing to leave one’s home, were also seen in this study. For some participants, this could lead to decreased health and well-being. Yet other participants reported an increased sense of health and well-being, seen in the form of increased or new-found sense of gratitude and joy for the “little things” in life, associated with doing fewer things or having a more flexible life. This can be compared to spending time in reflective solitude (Nilsson et al., 2006), which can help a human being gain deeper, existential insight to their own life (Eriksson, 1987; Hemberg et al., 2021). Those adolescents and young adults in this study who experienced suffering because of loneliness and/or anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic also simultaneously experienced that they gained new insights about themselves and experienced increased gratitude. For example, some revealed that they developed a new or renewed understanding of the importance of family. However, other researchers have found that families and children experienced changes in family context and significant stress during COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns (Singletary et al., 2022).
While many of the participants in this study experienced that opportunities to experience a normal study life and/or form new social connections decreased and that their social life became more monotonous, the relationships they had with friends and family could also become closer or more important. Branquinho et al. (2020) also found that the increased time spent with one’s family during COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns was positive for adolescents. In addition to family, pets could even comprise a source of support, provide comfort or increase well-being for some participants in this study. Others described how they were able to prioritize that which mattered to them, e.g., family, physical or mental health, which increased their well-being. Lastly, fewer but closer relationships with friends, family and/or partners were seen to be important for improving the well-being of some participants.
Mental health has deteriorated overall during the COVID-19 pandemic and constitutes a particularly important area of research, because mental health problems tend to have a “cascading” effect and negatively affect well-being (Chaddha et al., 2016). It can be challenging for adolescents and young adults to return to “normal” everyday life after being isolated and without most social contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be difficult for adolescents and young adults to begin socializing with peers again following a period of isolation, and especially those who are particularly vulnerable to becoming depressed should receive extra support, because adolescents and young adults tend to hide their feelings (cf. European Commission/Horizon, 2022). One should not assume that adolescents and young adults will automatically become more socially active again. Physical activity might counteract negative effects on adolescent mental health and well-being during a pandemic (Wright et al., 2021). We maintain that society must provide adolescents and young adults with sufficient support. Clear information on how to seek help and support from professionals should be made available.
The findings of this study may provide those who work with adolescents and young adults with increased understanding of how adolescents and young adults experience daily life. This in turn may facilitate in helping adolescents and young adults maintain or retain their strength and well-being during future pandemics or crises. The findings of this study may provide policy makers with better insight into how to support adolescents and young adults in the future, as well as provide the support mechanisms whereby to do so. We recommend that future research include post-pandemic and longitudinal perspectives on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents and young adults.
The link to the article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2024.2302102
This project is supported by the Högskolestiftelsen i Österbotten, Svensk-Österbottniska samfundet, Stiftelsen Brita Maria Renlunds Minne sr and Aktiastiftelsen i Vasa.
Authors:
Jessica Hemberg
PhD in Health Sciences, PHN, RN, Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. Subject leader in pedagogical studies for teachers within Health Sciences Didactics and subject leader for leadership in health and social care. Among other projects, leader of a research project on loneliness and well-being among adolescents and young adults and of a research project on multiprofessional collaboration in a school context concerning health-promoting student care for children and youth. Published multiple research articles. Other expertise areas include well-being, suffering and loneliness among older adults, ethical issues and compassion in caring as well as ethical leadership. E-mail: jessica.hemberg@abo.fi
ID ORCId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0829-8249
Link to Åbo Akademi University profile: https://research.abo.fi/sv/persons/jessica-hemberg
Amanda Sundqvist
PhD candidate in Health Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: amanda.sundqvist@abo.fi
Yulia Korzhina
PhD candidate in Health Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: yulia.korzhina@abo.fi
Lillemor Östman
PhD in Health Sciences, Development leader, children and young people’s health and learning, Department of Children and Education administration, Luleå Municipality, Luleå, Sweden.
E-mail: monica.lillemor.ostman@skol.lulea.se
Yulia Korzhina
PhD candidate in Health Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: yulia.korzhina@abo.fi
Sofia Gylfe
PhD candidate in Pedagogics, Department of Pedagogics, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: sofia.gylfe@abo.fi
Frida Gädda
PhD candidate in Health Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: frida.gadda@abo.fi
Lisbet Nyström
PhD in Health Sciences, RN, Associate Professor emerita, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.
E-mail: lisbet.nystrom@abo.fi
Henrik Groundstroem
Licensed Occupational health psychologist, Härnösand, Sweden; Research Assistant in Youth Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.
E-mail: henrik.groundstroem@abo.fi
Pia Nyman-Kurkiala
PhD in Social Sciences, Docent in Sociology, Researcher in Social Sciences with a focus on Youth Sciences, subject leader in Youth Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland. E-mail: pia.nyman-kurkiala@abo.fi
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