Loneliness in Young People Exacerbated by Covid

CHARLESTON, S.C., May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A series of studies by ADoH SCIENTIFIC, a Charleston-based mental and behavioral health analytics company, has found that loneliness was most pronounced among young people (ages 18-25) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, contrary to popular perceptions that loneliness is primarily an affliction of the elderly. The studies, which surveyed samples of Americans with their proprietary measures of emotions like Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Stress, Irritability and subjective Wellness/Health, and others, also found that many respondents across age groups reported significant dysfunction in their ability to manage their home, work, health management, and/or relationships. ADoH SCIENTIFIC released the new study results in late May, Mental Health Awareness Month, in order to draw attention to the nation’s looming mental health challenges.

“Although research on loneliness among young adults is emerging, and has been energized by the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic is not receiving enough attention,” said Brian Sullivan, Chief Scientific Officer of ADoH SCIENTIFIC. “More to the point, it’s not enough to document the phenomenon. The long-term risks associated with loneliness are too serious to ignore, and more must be done to help quickly and effectively identify exactly who is lonely, and get them connected to helpful resources that are accessible and affordable.”

ADoH employed their Digital Affect Mirror™ technology, also known as Emotii™, in the recent studies, allowing for accurate, granular data collection for populations’ mental, emotional and behavioral health states at unprecedented scale in a uniquely engaging and efficient format. ADoH SCIENTIFIC has completed three Pulse surveys since the beginning of the year, which are intended to track the national and state mental health levels along with vaccination attitudes over time in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and Mental Health Awareness Month. Additional findings from the ADoH data include:

• Consistently across all three studies, loneliness was positively correlated with all other measures of distress and dysfunction. The strongest correlation is with feelings of depression.
• Consistently across all three studies there were no significant differences overall between sexes or racial groups.

“We’re just beginning to grapple with the long-term mental health effects of the pandemic, and it’s important to understand how people have responded to this trauma across populations,” said Al Fasola Jr., CEO of ADoH SCIENTIFIC. “With the data we continue to collect, we aim to help organizations understand the mental health of populations at scale, which have a strong bearing on every other measure of wellbeing.”

About ADoH SCIENTIFIC, LLC
ADoH SCIENTIFIC is a new data-driven mental and behavioral health analytics company based in Charleston, SC. Using the company’s patented ADoH Digital Affect Mirror technology, ADoH SCIENTIFIC allows mental and behavioral healthcare providers, insurers, employers and patients to more accurately track and predict outcomes according to their mental and emotional states, providing a much-needed tool for understanding whole-person wellness.

For more information, visit adohscientific.com
On Twitter: @ADoH_SCIENTIFIC

Media Contact:
Hugh Moore
Broadsheet Communications
202-471-0661
[email protected]