There is considerable evidence that prolonged loneliness during childhood has lasting effects, with some children becoming depressed in their adolescence, and some having ongoing difficulties into adulthood.
Consequences of Loneliness
a feeling that can be damaging to their self-esteem. In addition, they may experience feelings of sadness, malaise, boredom, and alienation. Furthermore, early childhood experiences that contribute to loneliness may predict loneliness during adulthood.
Children left unsupervised often exhibit higher levels of fear, stress, loneliness and boredom. They are also at a greater risk to be involved in accidents and to be victimized by strangers, siblings, and friends. Children left home alone may also be more vulnerable to sexual abuse due to their easier access.
Childhood loneliness is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders in young adults, suggesting that loneliness – even in childhood – might have long-term costs in terms of mental health.
They give youngsters the opportunity to share feelings and explore ideas that they can't or won't with adults. The absence of a friend usually reflects some deficit in a child's psychological development, insofar as friendships involve lots of skills that don't come easily for many children.
As argued, socially isolated children are at increased risk of health problems in adulthood. Furthermore, studies on social isolation have demonstrated that a lack of social relationships negatively impacts the development of the brain's structure.
Dr. Rooney advises keeping things in perspective. “Kids need just one or two good friends. You don't have to worry about them being the most popular kid in their class.”
A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) points out that more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated.
Loneliness was associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms at both time points. Social loneliness was longitudinally associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms. Emotional loneliness was longitudinally associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms. This relationship may be bidirectional.
Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even death.
No legal age for leaving children home alone
There's no one law in Australia that says how old your child has to be before you can leave them alone. In Queensland, if you leave a child under 12 years of age for an unreasonable amount of time without supervision and care, you have committed a criminal offence.
Characteristics of only child syndrome
The belief is that they'll grow into selfish individuals who only think about themselves and their own needs. Also, lack of interaction with a sibling is believed to cause loneliness and antisocial tendencies.
Talk to your child
Keep it light – show an interest in their friends or peers, and ask how they feel about them. Let them know it's OK to be alone sometimes. We all feel lonely from time to time: it doesn't make them a failure. Acknowledge their feelings if your child says they're lonely.
Being raised by an emotionally unavailable parent or guardian can lead to a life of unstable friendships, strings of failed relationships, emotional neediness, an inability to self-regulate, provide for yourself, and identity confusion.
lack of emotional support during difficult times or illness. withholding or not showing affection, even when requested. exposure to domestic violence and other types of abuse. disregard for a child's mental well-being.
"Lacking encouragement from family or friends, those who are lonely may slide into unhealthy habits," Valtorta says. "In addition, loneliness has been found to raise levels of stress, impede sleep and, in turn, harm the body. Loneliness can also augment depression or anxiety."
Psychologists generally consider loneliness to be a stable trait, meaning that individuals have different set-points for feeling loneliness, and they fluctuate around these set-points depending on the circumstances in their lives.
Feeling lonely can also have a negative impact on your mental health, especially if these feelings have lasted a long time. Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
If you've experienced ongoing feelings of loneliness, it can have negative effects on your physical health. It could lead to weight gain, sleep deprivation, poor heart health, and a weakened immune system. Loneliness can also put your body under more stress than normal.
On the general scale, women have reported having higher levels of loneliness than men. Except for one category: single men are the lonelier group compared to single women. Women are more socially minded and are therefore able to better maintain close relationships than men.
Loneliness appeared to be more common among men. The survey found 63% of men to be lonely, compared with 58% of women.
Loneliness has been estimated to shorten a person's life by 15 years, equivalent in impact to being obese or smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Friendships usually develop when children are around 4 years old. Building a friendship takes emotional skills, social skills and some self-control.
At 3 years old, children often meet others at playgroup or child care and may be able to name their friends and want to play with them. Sometimes children this age don't have a clear idea who their friends are. By age 4, children usually have friends at preschool or day care.