Elsevier

Psychiatry Research

Volume 296, February 2021, 113658
Psychiatry Research

The unbearable loneliness of COVID-19: COVID-19-related correlates of loneliness in South Africa in young adults

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113658Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Unprecedent levels of loneliness among young adults in South Africa.

  • There were gender differences in the experience of loneliness with women reporting higher levels of loneliness.

  • Self-rated knowledge, risk perception and resilience emerged as significant COVID-19 related correlates of loneliness.

Abstract

This is the first study to examine the association between COVID-19 related variables and loneliness among young adults in South Africa during COVID-19. Participants (N=337) were university students who completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and five selected subscales of the WHO COVID-19 Behavioural Insights Tool. The mean loneliness scores were significantly higher than previous studies in other contexts as well as studies conducted in the time of COVID-19. Correlational analysis found that greater perceived risk of infection, limited perceived knowledge of COVID-19 and lower appraisals of resilience were associated with increased loneliness. In a regression analysis, when all COVID-19 variables were considered simultaneously, only resilience, self-rated knowledge, and risk perception emerged as significant correlates of loneliness. These findings suggest that loneliness is a significant public health concern in South Africa in the time of COVID-19. It also suggests that self-efficacy and resilience can potentially be reinforced by public health campaigns that focus on enhancing COVID-19-related knowledge and preparedness.

Keywords

COVID-19
Loneliness
Resilience
Risk perception
Self-efficacy
South Africa

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