Introduction

Several studies have documented increases in adolescent loneliness and depression in the U.S., UK, and Canada after 2012, but it is unknown whether these trends appear worldwide or whether they are linked to factors such as economic conditions, technology use, or changes in family size.

Methods

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey of 15- and 16-year-old students around the world included a 6-item measure of school loneliness in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015, and 2018 (n = 1,049,784, 51% female) across 37 countries.

Results

School loneliness increased 2012–2018 in 36 out of 37 countries. Worldwide, nearly twice as many adolescents in 2018 (vs. 2012) had elevated levels of school loneliness. Increases in loneliness were larger among girls than among boys and in countries with full measurement invariance. In multi-level modeling analyses, school loneliness was high when smartphone access and internet use were high. In contrast, higher unemployment rates predicted lower school loneliness. Income inequality, GDP, and total fertility rate (family size) were not significantly related to school loneliness when matched by year. School loneliness was positively correlated with negative affect and negatively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction, suggesting the measure has broad implications for adolescent well-being.

Conclusions

The psychological well-being of adolescents around the world began to decline after 2012, in conjunction with the rise of smartphone access and increased internet use, though causation cannot be proven and more years of data will provide a more complete picture.

中文翻译：

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全球青少年孤独感增加

介绍

多项研究记录了 2012 年后美国、英国和加拿大青少年孤独感和抑郁症的增加，但尚不清楚这些趋势是否出现在全球范围内，或者它们是否与经济状况、技术使用或家庭规模变化等因素有关.

方法

国际学生评估计划 (PISA) 对全球 15 和 16 岁学生的调查包括 2000、2003、2012、2015 和 2018 年的 6 项学校孤独感测量（n  = 1,049,784，51%女性）跨越 37 个国家。

结果

2012-2018 年，37 个国家中的 36 个国家的学校孤独感有所增加。在全球范围内，2018 年（与 2012 年相比）有近两倍的青少年在学校孤独感升高。在完全测量不变性的国家，女孩的孤独感增加大于男孩。在多层次建模分析中，当智能手机访问量和互联网使用量高时，学校的孤独感就高。相比之下，较高的失业率预示着较低的学校孤独感。当按年份匹配时，收入不平等、GDP 和总生育率（家庭规模）与学校孤独感没有显着相关性。学校孤独感与消极情绪呈正相关，与积极情绪和生活满意度呈负相关，表明该措施对青少年幸福感具有广泛的影响。

结论

2012 年之后，随着智能手机的普及和互联网使用的增加，全球青少年的心理健康状况开始下降，尽管无法证明因果关系，更多年的数据将提供更完整的图景。