Associations between loneliness and perceived support among young persons in Sweden, based on self-reported data from the health behavior in school-aged children (HBSC) survey

Loneliness among young persons is an increasing concern in Sweden and internationally, yet knowledge about its relation to perceived social support remains limited. This study examines the associations between loneliness and perceived support among adolescents using data from the Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey (n = 40,631; ages 11, 13 and 15). Loneliness was assessed using single-item measure and support variables were recoded to reflect levels of perceived support. Analyses were conducted separately by age group. Loneliness increased with age and was more common among girls than boys (OR 2.0–2.6), with markedly higher odds among adolescents identifying outside binary gender categories (OR 2.9–7.4). Low family- (OR 2.0–4.5), friend- (OR 4.7-6.0), and teacher support (OR 1.3–1.6) were associated with loneliness. Although causality cannot be inferred due to the cross-sectional design, the findings highlight the importance of supportive relationships for understanding loneliness among adolescents.