Loneliness during the COVID pandemic: Characteristics and associated risks

Paiva, Teresa; Gaspar, Tânia; Tomé, Gina; Gaspar de Matos, Margarida

Publication

Loneliness during the COVID pandemic: Characteristics and associated risks

2024-08-14Journal article

datacite.subject.fos	Ciências Sociais::Psicologia
datacite.subject.sdg	03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.author	Paiva, Teresa
dc.contributor.author	Gaspar, Tânia
dc.contributor.author	Tomé, Gina
dc.contributor.author	Gaspar de Matos, Margarida
dc.date.accessioned	2025-11-25T19:37:09Z
dc.date.available	2025-11-25T19:37:09Z
dc.date.issued	2024-08-14
dc.description.abstract	Loneliness is becoming progressively more frequent despite increasing communication facilities. The COVID lockdown and social interaction restrictions enhanced loneliness complaints in more vulnerable groups while increasing its global prevalence. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of loneliness complaints during COVID19 Methods: The sample includes 5230 participants, 67.7% female, mean age 48.6 years and SD 14.30. To assure complexity/ diversity, an extensive internet survey with 177 questions was applied during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Portugal, including data from the Continent and Islands (Madeira and Azores). Results: The prevalence was higher in females, emerging adults, those living alone, living in a flat, and in a big city. The following variables were higher in LG (Loneliness Group): Stress, depression, anxiety, irritability, worries, Calamity Experience Check List (CECL), economic problems, Sleep latency and Awakenings, Screen time in TV, Mobile, Social networks, negative attitudes and negative behaviors, dependences from TV, Social networks and Games, morbidities, worsening of previous morbidities, and nightmares. The predictors were civil status, living alone, and having negative attitudes during the pandemic. Conclusions: The study allows us to conclude that loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with health, psychological, behavioral, lifestyle, and housing-related factors; it could be predicted by the Calamity Experience Check List (CECL); Frequency of sexual activity; Negative attitudes; Positive attitudes; Negative Behaviors; Civil status; Living alone; Sleep latency weekdays; Sleep latency weekends. There were gender similarities and differences in loneliness predictors.	por
dc.identifier.citation	Paiva, T., Gaspar, T., Tomé, G., & Matos, M. G. de. (2024). Loneliness during the COVID pandemic: characteristics and associated risks. MOJ Public Health, 13(2), 131–140. https://doi.org/10.15406/mojph.2024.13.00451
dc.identifier.doi	10.15406/mojph.2024.13.00451
dc.identifier.issn	2379-6383
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/13667
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.peerreviewed	yes
dc.publisher	MedCrave Group Kft.
dc.relation.hasversion	https://medcraveonline.com/MOJPH/loneliness-during-the-covid-pandemic-characteristics-and-associated-risks.html
dc.relation.ispartof	MOJ Public Health
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Loneliness
dc.subject	Covid-19
dc.subject	Lockdown
dc.subject	Health
dc.subject	Risks
dc.subject	Predictors
dc.title	Loneliness during the COVID pandemic: Characteristics and associated risks	por
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.endPage	140
oaire.citation.issue	2
oaire.citation.startPage	131
oaire.citation.title	MOJ Public Health
oaire.citation.volume	13
oaire.version	http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyName	Gaspar de Matos
person.givenName	Margarida
person.identifier	H-3824-2012
person.identifier.ciencia-id	C319-629F-67E9
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0003-2114-2350
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	15076750500
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	2463580b-f13a-4aab-8aae-7f411402860b
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	2463580b-f13a-4aab-8aae-7f411402860b