A call for better research and resources for understanding and combatting youth loneliness: integrating the perspectives of young people and researchers
In our in our perspective paper, lead by our young people co-researchers, Iqra Alam, Ezekiel Khayri & Tabitha Podger, we call for better resources and research for combating youth loneliness.
We argue for three key points: First, there is a need to delineate chronic from transient loneliness. This will help identify those most at-risk for poorer health outcomes.
Second, we argue that most resources available to support young people experiencing chronic forms of loneliness are not actually tailored to managing loneliness but instead treat loneliness as a side effect of other primary medical or psychiatric problems.
Third, we discuss some of the barriers that some groups of young people—often those most at-risk for loneliness—may face in accessing support.
We conclude by calling for researchers and policymakers to take note of these gaps in planning future studies and policies.