Young peoples’ experiences of loneliness and mental health issues in relation to friends and school

Abstract Loneliness and mental ill-health are a serious threat to the well-being of young people. It is important to listen to their own voices about how they experience loneliness and mental ill-health, but few studies focus on loneliness related to young people's friends and school. The aim of the study was to examine young people's and young adults’ experiences of loneliness and mental ill-health in relation to friends and school and strategies for alleviating loneliness. A qualitative study with an inductive approach was used as a design. Ten young people aged 19-27 were interviewed. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that young people's experiences of loneliness may be related to their upbringing and personality traits and may originate in not fitting in, lack of friends, suffering from mental illness, and experiencing exclusion and bullying. Another reason for young people's experiences of loneliness is not having someone close to talk to. Several describe the transition from primary to secondary school as a time when they experienced loneliness. Mental health problems, such as anxiety and panic attacks, can be causes of emotional loneliness. Young people have different strategies for alleviating experiences of loneliness; nature can provide alleviation or they may seek different forms of entertainment as a strategy to relieve their suffering, such as gaming, watching movies or doing exercise. Negative coping strategies include eating disorders, addictions, self-harm, social isolation and an unhealthy lifestyle. One strategy to alleviate the experience of loneliness is to engage with other people in the community. Moreover, young people would like to see early interventions if student loneliness is discovered at school. They would also like to see places for various inexpensive activities and support groups for young people who feel lonely.