The results of the study indicate that unwanted loneliness currently affects one in four young people (25.5%) in Spain.
09/02/2024.- The Professor of Psychology at the University of Jaén (UJA) and head of the PROEMO Network, Luis Joaquín García, has participated as an expert in the ‘Study on youth and unwanted loneliness in Spain’, promoted by the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness of the ONCE Foundation, in collaboration with the Ayuda en Acción Foundation.
The UJA researcher was part of a discussion group, which brought together a total of 12 specialists in loneliness and youth from the third sector of social action, administrations and academia, to discuss the results of the study and propose recommendations to address unwanted youth loneliness from public policies. Specifically, professionals from the ONCE Foundation, Aragon Observatory of Loneliness, Red Cross Youth, Barcelona City Council, Spanish Youth Institute, Spanish Youth Council, University of Jaen, PROEMO Network, University of Girona, Pablo Olavide University and University of Zaragoza participated.
The study aims to better understand the phenomenon of unwanted loneliness in young people aged 16-29 years and discuss possible solutions and recommendations to address this problem from policies and programs.
The results indicate that unwanted loneliness currently affects one in four young people in Spain (25.5% between 16 and 29 years of age). This figure rises to 69% among young people who have felt this way at some point in their lives. The data show that unwanted loneliness has already high percentages at the age of 16, and reaches more women between 22 and 27 years old, unemployed, young people at risk or at risk of poverty, those who have suffered bullying at school or work, have poor physical or mental health, with disabilities, of foreign origin or LGTBI.
The study points out that young people with mental health problems are 2.5 times more likely to suffer unwanted loneliness. Suicidal thoughts reach half of the youth who feel lonely (50.5%). In addition, attending counseling protects against loneliness. Those who have never been to counseling are 45.7% more likely to suffer from loneliness than those who have benefited from seeing a psychologist.
In that sense, Luis Joaquín García emphasizes that “given the impact of unwanted loneliness as a risk factor for emotional problems and the role of psychological help as a protective factor, it is crucial to provide young people with tools to strengthen them emotionally and increase their resilience, such as the PROCARE initiative. From UJA we work in this direction with interdisciplinary prevention projects such as PROCARE, PROADEMO, Digitas, DAREMOS or Level Up to promote the promotion of health and emotional well-being and the prevention of emotional problems in adolescents from a holistic and integrative approach”. At the same time, he points out that “from the PROEMO Network, headed by UJA, a roadmap is being drawn up for 2025 that will focus on the shortcomings detected that are affecting the mental health of young people and that contains recommendations to improve their situation”.
The Study was presented yesterday at the ONCE Foundation’s Digital Talent Hub, with the presence of Sira Rego, Minister for Youth and Children, Miguel Carballeda, President of ONCE and the ONCE Social Group, Jaime Montalvo, President of the Ayuda en Acción Foundation, Adrián Tuñón, consultant at Fresno, the Right Link, Matilde Fernández, president of the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness (SoledadES), Matías Figueroa, director of the Europe program of the Ayuda en Acción Foundation, Juan Antonio Báez, vice-president of the Spanish Youth Council, and José Manuel Huesa, director of Servimedia.
The study can be downloaded free of charge at this link.
