Loneliness patterns across time and subsequent risk of psychotic experiences, depression, anxiety, and diminished well‐being in adolescents

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21344293
AutoresZui C Narita (0000-0001-7022-2141, Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry Tokyo Japan, autor de correspondencia), Jordan Devylder (0000-0001-5873-4582, Silver School of Social Work New York University New York New York USA), Gemma Knowles (0000-0001-6107-3957, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Center for Society and Mental Health and Health Service and Population Research Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London London UK), Syudo Yamasaki (0000-0002-9016-6404, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Mitsuhiro Miyashita (0000-0002-7798-1834, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Daniel Stanyon (0000-0001-9207-2324, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Center for Society and Mental Health and Health Service and Population Research Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London London UK), Satoshi Yamaguchi (0000-0003-3531-124X, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Tomohiro Shinozaki (0000-0003-3395-9691, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan), Ryo Sasaki (Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Rui Zhou (0000-0003-2412-8634, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Shuntaro Ando (0000-0003-1595-693X, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan), Craig Morgan (0000-0002-1386-2369, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Center for Society and Mental Health and Health Service and Population Research Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London London UK), Paola Dazzan (0000-0002-8427-3617, Department of Psychological Medicine Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London London UK), Toshiaki A Furukawa (Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine/School of Public Health Kyoto Japan), Toshi A Furukawa (0000-0003-2159-3776, Kyoto University), Kazutaka Kasai (0000-0002-4443-4535, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project), Kiyoto Kasai (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan), Ian Kelleher (0000-0003-1484-651X, Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK), Atsushi Nishida (0000-0001-6451-7699, Unit for Mental Health Promotion, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan)
Año2026
Volumen67
Número7
Páginas1095-1105
Fecha de publicación2026-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.70114
PMID41567036
OpenAlexW7125418574
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas51

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the association between loneliness and psychotic experiences in adolescents remains limited. Moreover, loneliness has typically been assessed at a single time point, which fails to capture its dynamic nature. We hypothesized that persistent loneliness, assessed across repeated measures, would be associated with psychotic experiences and other mental health problems. METHODS: Using longitudinal data from 3,171 participants in the Tokyo Teen Cohort, we applied the g-formula. We analyzed how loneliness patterns at ages 12 and 14 were associated with psychotic experiences, depression, anxiety, and diminished well-being at age 16, accounting for time-fixed and time-varying confounders. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation by chained equations. RESULTS: Persistent loneliness was associated with increased risk and greater severity of psychotic experiences (RD 7.1%, 95% CI: 0.8-14.3; RR 2.44, 95% CI: 1.16-4.11; β 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10-0.48). Incident loneliness at age 14 showed similar associations. No association was found for adolescents whose loneliness had remitted by age 14 (RD -1.3%, 95% CI: -3.6 to 1.2; RR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.31-1.26; β 0.01, 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.08). Sensitivity analyses using marginal structural models yielded results that were largely unchanged. Findings were generally similar for other mental health problems. Associations were consistent across genders, although the association with well-being appeared particularly important for girls. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamics of loneliness are associated with a wide range of mental health problems in adolescents. The risk may not be permanent and could be mitigated if loneliness remits. Further research examining interventions that target loneliness is warranted

Loneliness · Mental health · Psychological intervention · Psychosis · Schizophrenia (object-oriented programming) · Social isolation · Suicide prevention · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Resilience and Mental Health