The investigation of the status quo of loneliness and psychological distress of Taiwanese adolescents during the COVID-19 epidemic

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and loneliness in adolescents during the COVID-19 epidemic, make relevant discussions through demographic variables, and construct a Taiwanese Adolescents Loneliness Scale (TALS). Methods: The research adopts the survey research method. The scale data were collected from 6,646 high school students to construct the TALS from Oct 2021 to Mar 2022. And the score of The 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), suicidal ideation, and demographic variables were also collected. Results:(1)The TALS has a total of six items and with good reliability and validity;(2) The adolescents' loneliness has significant positive correlations with psychological distress and suicidal ideation;(3) The adolescents' loneliness has significant negative correlations with peer relationship and caregiver relationship;(4) Both loneliness and psychological distress show significant differences in gender, grades and parental marital relationship;the psychological distress also shows a among different primary caregivers. Conclusions: The TALS can be applied as an assessment tool in the post-pandemic era. It provides the basis for the screening of in-crisis adolescents and the guidance for the following interventions. Furthermore, the TALS can assist the adolescent with psychological distress and suicidal ideation. The adolescents' loneliness has significant correlations with psychological distress, suicidal ideation, peer relationship and caregiver relationship. © 2022 Chinese Public Health Association of Taiwan. All rights reserved.