Neighbourhood effects on loneliness among adolescents

Background: Loneliness is a growing public health concern, but little is known about how place affects loneliness, especially during adolescence. This is the first study to examine the influence of neighbourhoods on loneliness in early-to-mid adolescence. Methods: Baseline data from the #BeeWell cohort study in Greater Manchester (England), including 36 141 adolescents (aged 12–15 years) across 1590 neighbourhoods, were linked to neighbourhood characteristics using administrative data at the level of lower super output areas and analysed using multilevel regression.

Results: Neighbourhood differences explained 1.18% of the variation in loneliness. Ethnic, gender and sexual orientation inequalities in loneliness varied across neighbourhoods. Several neighbourhood characteristics predicted loneliness at the individual level, including skills deprivation among children and young people, lower population density and perceptions of the local area (feeling safe; trust in local people; feeling supported by local people; seeing neighbours as helpful; the availability of good places to spend free time). Finally, a longer distance from home to school was associated with significantly higher loneliness.

Conclusions: Neighbourhoods account for a small but significant proportion of the variation in adolescent loneliness, with some neighbourhood characteristics predicting loneliness at the individual level, and loneliness disparities for some groups differing across neighbourhoods.