Social Isolation and Loneliness How Social Distancing, Quarantining, and Shutdowns May Affect How You Feel

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Social Isolation and Loneliness How social distancing, quarantining, and shutdowns may affect how you feel. What is social isolation? Know the signs and risk factors The lack of social contact or relationships, • Decreased or no interaction with family and friends both physical and psychological. • Less medical support and preventative care • Changes in physical or mental health (e.g. feeling anxiety, weight gain or loss, etc.) What is loneliness? • Deviation from routine social activities (e.g. church, clubs, dining out) The subjective feelings of • Loss or lack of access to resources isolation or being alone. (e.g. school, health centers, etc.) Loneliness has increased due to COVID-19 Approximately Americans report in feelings of loneliness 1 3 or social isolation Are you at higher risk for loneliness? If you are an older adult, an individual of color, have low economic income, or live in a nursing facility, assisted living facility, or a group home, you may be impacted even more than others. The impact on your health Social isolation and loneliness can have both short- Loneliness can also seriously impact the way you feel physically, and long-term effects on your mental health including: sometimes leading to major health concerns, including: • Alzheimer’s disease • Mistrust of others • High blood pressure • Weakened immune system • Depression • Cognitive decline • Heart disease • Inflammation • Anxiety and dementia • Obesity Tips on being less socially isolated Increase your meaningful social interactions in-person Your health plan care manager and or through virtual social groups, social media connections, primary care provider can direct you or other uses of technology. These are some of the best ways to valuable resources and community to combat social isolation and feelings of loneliness. programs that can help. PAHealthWellness.com © 2021 PA Health & Wellness. All rights reserved..

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Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Children With
brain sciences Review Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review Celia Kwan 1, Mojgan Gitimoghaddam 1,2 and Jean-Paul Collet 1,2,* 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; [email protected] (C.K.); [email protected] (M.G.) 2 BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-604-999-6860 Received: 19 October 2020; Accepted: 25 October 2020; Published: 28 October 2020 Abstract: Loneliness and social isolation have negative consequences on physical and mental health in both adult and pediatric populations. Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are often excluded and experience more loneliness than their typically developing peers. This scoping review aims to identify the type of studies conducted in children with NDD to determine the effects of loneliness and/or social isolation. Three electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO) were searched from inception until 5 February 2019. Two independent reviewers screened the citations for inclusion and extracted data from the included articles. Quantitative (i.e., frequency analysis) and qualitative analyses (i.e., content analysis) were completed. From our search, 5768 citations were screened, 29 were read in full, and 12 were included. Ten were case-control comparisons with cross-sectional assessment of various outcomes, which limited inference. Autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and learning disorder were the most commonly studied NDD. This review showed that loneliness among children with NDD was associated with negative consequences on mental health, behaviour, and psychosocial/emotional development, with a likely long-term impact in adulthood.
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Social Isolation and Loneliness Report Highlights.Pdf
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