Background: Loneliness is a growing global public health concern that is influenced by environmental contexts.Among youth, it manifests differently at school and home, yet research in low-resource urban settings remains limited.This study examined the patterns of loneliness and how economic and sociodemographic factors correlate with it in school and home environments among Kenyan youths living in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. Methods:This cross-sectional study examined patterns, sources, and demographic influences of loneliness among 1,972 youths aged 14-25 years living in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire comprising the UCLA loneliness scale, Wealth index and a socio-demographic section.Analyses included paired t-tests, ANOVA, and generalized estimating equations (GEE).Results: Among participants with complete paired data (n = 1,166), loneliness was significantly higher at school (M = 23.15)than at home (M = 21.53),t(1165) = 5.30, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.16.Gender was significantly associated with loneliness in both settings, with females scoring higher than males (school: p = .011;home: p < .001).Education level and marital status were significantly related to loneliness at home (p < .001and p = .022,respectively) but not at school.Loneliness at home was higher among the poorest households compared to middle-class households (Mean Difference = 2.556, SD = 0.904, p = .048).GEE models confirmed these patterns, with an interaction showing that employment status influenced differences in loneliness between home and school settings.Access to electricity (p = .005),piped water (p = .002),and gas (p = .004)was associated with lower loneliness scores. Conclusion:School settings were linked with higher loneliness, while home loneliness varied by socioeconomic and demographic factors, underscoring the need for targeted interventions addressing environmental and social determinants of youth loneliness.
Mutiso et al. (Tue,) studied this question.