The MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU), University of Glasgow has shared this research in their March 2023 news bulletin.
Loneliness is strongly linked with poorer mental health in adolescents, with the impact of loneliness on their mental health varying depending on the school they attend, a new study led by Claire Goodfellow has found. Published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, the research is thought to be the first to explore the association between loneliness and mental health in schools. It identifies that school-based interventions targeting mental health may be especially necessary among lonely adolescents, and says programmes aimed at tackling loneliness may be more beneficial in schools with poorer mental health. The research analysed pre-existing data on 5,286 pupils with an average age of 13-and-a-half at 208 Scottish schools.
This may be something to consider when planning and designing outdoor intervention programmes for schools.
