Global trends in adolescent school loneliness from 2000 to 2022: An analysis of gender and socioeconomic inequalities across 87 countries.

Abstract

Background: Despite concerns over increasing adolescent loneliness and its lasting negative impact on mental and physical health, global trends and the gender and socioeconomic inequalities remain unclear. The study examined trends in adolescent school loneliness from 2000 to 2022 across 87 countries, analyzing disparities by gender, socioeconomic status, and country-income level.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, a nationally representative survey of 15-year-olds conducted in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022. School loneliness was measured by a composite score from six self-reported questions. We used mixed-effects regression modeling and meta-regression to analyze trends by gender, socioeconomic status, and country-income level (low and lower-middle, upper-middle, or high).

Results: Among the 2,155,046 students, 50.8% were girls (n = 1,095,010), and school loneliness increased over time. Although boys initially reported higher school loneliness, girls' school loneliness increased more rapidly, surpassing boys' levels around 2012 in high-income countries and around 2018 in upper-middle-income countries. This gender-based reversal was not evident in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Low socioeconomic status was consistently associated with greater school loneliness across genders and across all country-income groups.

Conclusions: Adolescent school loneliness has increased globally over the past two decades, becoming particularly pronounced among girls in wealthier nations, leading to a widening gender gap by 2022. Socioeconomic disadvantages are a common risk factor for higher levels of school loneliness across all income groups. Public health strategies aimed at mitigating global trends in adolescent school loneliness and addressing its socioeconomic and growing gender disparities are warranted.