Loneliness, living alone and mental well-being: findings from a population-based study in Sweden

Aim: To investigate the association between loneliness, living alone and mental well-being among Swedish adults. Methods: The study is based on 6315 men and women aged 18 years or older responding to a population survey in 2022 (overall response rate 45%). A short version of the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale was used to measure mental well-being. The associations between loneliness, living alone and mental well-being were analysed using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for gender, age group, educational level, economic difficulties, social support, risk consumption of alcohol and longstanding illness. Results: Overall, the majority of the study population did not feel lonely, with 63.5% living with someone and 16.1% living alone. The proportion reporting loneliness, in total 20.4%, was about the same irrespective of whether the respondent lived with someone (10.7%) or was living alone (9.7%). More women than men reported loneliness, living alone and poor mental well-being. The youngest age group, 18–29 years, reported the highest levels of loneliness and poor mental well-being. Loneliness was independently associated with poor mental well-being, and the association was as strong among those who lived alone as among those who lived with someone. Conclusions: Loneliness was associated with poor mental well-being irrespective of living alone or not. Public health actions aiming to reduce loneliness and strengthen mental well-being in the general population need to address all age groups, in particular young adults and those who live with someone but still feel lonely.