Early-life conditions, childhood loneliness, and educational achievement: A prospective study

Abstract Childhood remains an unexplored life phase in loneliness literature. Prior studies suggest that loneliness during childhood may impair academic performance, yet this relationship may be confounded by early-life socio-environmental conditions. Using data from a U.S. birth-cohort study, the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (original sample collected in 1998, n = 4,898; study sample n = 2,226), we explore two research questions: (1) whether early-life socio-environmental factors (material hardship, neighborhood conditions, and child maltreatment) and verbal ability at age 5 predict childhood loneliness trajectories (persistent, transient, never lonely) from ages 5 to 9; and (2) whether childhood loneliness is associated with lower educational achievement (high school grades and educational attainment) measured at age 22, after adjusting for early-life socio-environmental factors. Loneliness was measured using the item “Child complains of loneliness,” reported by the primary caregiver. We apply proportional odds logistic regression to address the first research question, and generalized propensity score weighting to estimate the marginal effects of persistent and transient loneliness on educational achievement to explore the second question. In the sample, 6.8% of the children experienced persistent loneliness and 24.57% transient loneliness. Based on preliminary descriptive results, those reporting persistent loneliness are more often girls (61.8%) and have higher scores on material hardship and child maltreatment scales than those who were never or transiently lonely. Children who never reported loneliness have higher educational achievement compared to those who were transiently or persistently lonely. In conclusion, loneliness may be a prevalent psychosocial risk factor already in childhood with potential long-lasting effects, shaped in part by early-life socio-environmental conditions. Key messages • Childhood loneliness is a prevalent psychosocial risk factor linked to lower educational achievement in young adulthood. • Early interventions addressing socio-environmental and cognitive risks may reduce childhood loneliness and later educational disparities.