Youth loneliness in pandemic times: a qualitative study in Quebec and Ontario

ABSTRACT

In many countries, young adults have been the age group most affected by loneliness during the pandemic. While this phenomenon is now well quantified, we still lack a clear understanding of its causes, as well as of the main characteristics of this youth loneliness. We argue that a qualitative approach can help to capture the dynamics of youth loneliness during the pandemic: drawing on 48 life stories of young adults aged 18 to 30 conducted in 2020 and 2021 in Québec and Ontario, we identify the different hardships, emotions and coping strategies associated with loneliness. We show that beyond a common « shock of loneliness », this experience is associated with three main narratives -loneliness as an « abyss », a « battle » or a « resource »-, which sheds light on a process of « cumulative loneliness », affecting particularly the most vulnerable young people. The conclusion highlights some key lessons for research on youth loneliness.

KEYWORDS:

• loneliness
• youth loneliness
• young adults
• loneliness experiences
• pandemic
• social isolation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethics

This research has received a certificate of ethics approval from the University of Montreal.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canada Research Chair Program.

Notes on contributors

Cécile Van de Velde

Cécile Van de Velde is a full professor of sociology at the University of Montreal, and holder of the Canada Research Chair on Social Inequalities and Life Course.

Stéphanie Boudreault

Stéphanie Boudreault is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Montreal.

Laureleï Berniard

Laureleï Berniard is a Master’s student in sociology at the University of Montreal.