Key result
Childhood loneliness links to ~102% higher odds of persistent depressive symptoms into young adulthood.
Why the study?
Identifying children and adolescents at highest risk for chronic depression is critical to develop targeted interventions that attenuate the depressive risk trajectory.
Do childhood modifiable factors such as loneliness and school connectedness predict persistent high depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood?
Cohort (n=6,711)
Do childhood modifiable factors such as loneliness and school connectedness predict persistent high depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood?
Effect estimate: OR 2.02 (95% CI 1.11-3.67)
p-value: p=0.022
Childhood loneliness and lack of school connectedness are key modifiable risk factors strongly associated with the development of chronic, persistent depressive symptoms through adolescence and young adulthood.
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May prompt pediatric screening for loneliness; leaves open whether interventions alter depressive trajectories.
Durdurak et al. (2024) conducted a cohort in Chronic depressive symptoms (n=6,711). Loneliness at 10 years vs. Lower loneliness was evaluated on Persistent high levels of depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.11-3.67, p=0.022). Loneliness at age 10 significantly increased the odds of experiencing persistent high levels of depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood (OR 2.02).
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