Loneliness has not increased among Americans during pandemic, study finds

The COVID-19 pandemic has not resulted in an uptick in loneliness among Americans, according to new research.

The research involves analysis of responses to three waves of a survey conducted by researchers at Florida State University in Tallahassee and published by the American Psychological Association. The first wave was in late January and early February, before the pandemic began, as part of a study on loneliness, personality and health. The second wave was in March, after social-distancing recommendations had been issued. The third wave was in late April after most states had issued stay-at-home orders.

Overall, 1,545 Americans completed all three surveys.

Researchers found that there was no significant change in mean levels of loneliness across the three waves of the survey.

People in at-risk groups, including people living alone and those with chronic health conditions, reported feeling lonelier than other groups in the first survey, but their loneliness levels did not increase in the second and third waves of the survey, researchers said.

"We were surprised by the overall remarkable resilience in response to COVID-19," said Martina Luchetti, PhD, study lead author and an assistant professor at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee.

The study was published in the journal American Psychologist.

Editor's note: This article was updated June 22 at 5:30 p.m. CDT to clarify that the study was conducted by researchers at Florida State University and published by the American Psychological Association. An earlier version of the article mistakely stated the research was conducted by the American Psychological Association. 

 

 

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