Always together but still lonely: the relationship between environment at school and adolescents' loneliness

Background

The concurrent increase in loneliness among young people and the decline in school-related protective factors is a cause for concern, given their potential implications for mental health and well-being. This study examines the association between selected aspects of school life and adolescent loneliness. Data were collected in 2022.

Methods

Using self-report data from the England's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, we examined the responses from 5377 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years old to describe to what extent the available set of school environment variables (perceived school belonging, schoolwork pressure, school liking, school safety, classmates' support and teachers' support) were associated with experiences of loneliness.

Results

Binary logistic regression analyses indicate that lower schoolwork pressure (OR = 1.89), higher classmates' support (OR = 1.55), stronger school belonging (OR = 1.49), higher school liking (OR = 1.36) and feeling safe at school (OR = 1.18) were all significantly associated with lower odds of loneliness, after accounting for age, sex and family affluence. Teachers' support was not significantly associated with loneliness.

Conclusion

Given the documented rise in adolescent loneliness and schoolwork pressure alongside the decline in school belonging and classmates' support, we emphasise the need for improved understanding of these constructs to inform the development of more effective interventions addressing adolescent loneliness.