Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr 12;43(1):53-60.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa151.

Loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours among Japanese adults

Andrew Stickley  1 , Tetsuya Matsubayashi  2 , Michiko Ueda  3
Affiliations

Loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours among Japanese adults

Andrew Stickley et al. J Public Health (Oxf). .

Abstract

Background: There is some evidence that loneliness may be linked to poorer health behaviours. Despite this, there has been little research to date on the relationship between loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours. We studied these associations in a sample of the Japanese population.

Methods: Data were analysed from an online survey of 2000 adults undertaken in April and May 2020. Loneliness was assessed with the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Information was also collected on 13 COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Regression analyses were used to examine associations.

Results: In linear regression models adjusted for demographic and mental health variables, both dichotomous and continuous loneliness measures were negatively associated with engaging in COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Logistic regression analyses further showed that loneliness was also associated with reduced odds for a variety of individual preventive behaviours including wearing a mask (odds ratio [OR]: 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-0.95), disinfecting hands (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67-0.94) and social distancing when outdoors (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61-0.92).

Conclusions: Loneliness is associated with lower engagement in COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Interventions to prevent or ameliorate loneliness during the ongoing pandemic may be important in combating the spread of the coronavirus.

Keywords: COVID-19; Japan; hygiene; lonely; social distancing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bauerle A, Teufel M, Musche V et al. . Increased generalized anxiety, depression and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Germany. J Public Health 2020. 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa106. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fancourt D, Steptoe A, Bu F. Trajectories of depression and anxiety during enforced isolation due to COVID-19: longitudinal analyses of 59, 318 adults in the UK with and without diagnosed mental illness. med Rxiv 2020. 10.1101/2020.06.03.20120923. - DOI
    1. Iob E, Steptoe A, Fancourt D. Abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Br J Psychiatry 2020. 10.1192/bjp.2020.130. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tull MT, Edmonds KA, Scamaldo KM et al. . Psychological outcomes associated with stay-at-home orders and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on daily life. Psychiatry Res 2020;289:113098. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Perlman D, Peplau AL. Loneliness In: Friedman H. (ed). Encyclopedia of Mental Health. San Diego. Academic Press, 1998, 571–81.
-