If all your friends were imaginary when you were a kid, your troubles may not be over.
Research has established that loneliness in childhood can lead to issues in adulthood — particularly when it comes to long-term mental health.
But a new study published today found that those feelings of isolation can also impact physical health.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that lonely children are more likely to become adults who experience significant cognitive decline and dementia — even if they’re no longer lonely as adults.
These findings are particularly concerning given that 80% of Gen Z report feeling isolated — twice the rate of senior citizens — while members of Generation Alpha are a struggling to make new friends amid the ongoing loneliness epidemic.
Previous research revealed that childhood loneliness was associated with a 117% increased chance of experiencing a psychotic episode later in life.
In this latest, self-reported study, childhood loneliness was defined as frequent feelings of loneliness and the absence of close friendships before age 17.
According to the research team, these feelings can lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms, and the adverse effects can last well into adulthood.
“Children experiencing loneliness often adopt unhealthy behaviors as coping mechanisms to alleviate emotional distress…These behavioral and psychological factors may adversely affect neurodevelopment, which influences later-life cognitive performance,” said study authors.
Researchers noted that distress and low mood associated with childhood loneliness can hinder or inhibit peer interactions which are cititical to cognitive development.
Further, childhood loneliness can trigger brain compromising effects like elevated cortisol levels, overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system, hippocampal damage, oxidative stress and immune system dysregulation.
According to the study, these disruptions may potentially and irrevocably alter brain structure and function, raising the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia later in life.
Adult loneliness has been previously linked to cognitive decline. A US study looking at the brains of healthy adults found those who reported feelings of loneliness had higher cortical amyloid levels — a marker used to help diagnose dementia and Alzheimer’s.
A 2017 study found lonely and depressed singles were 60% more likely to develop dementia than their happy, partnered counterparts. Participants with increased amyloid were seven and a half times more likely to identify as lonely.
Yet, this latest study is the first to explore the relationship between childhood loneliness and cognitive decline.
The study authors are hopeful that their findings will inspire public health initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing loneliness in early life, thereby supporting cognitive health and well-being at every age.
“Effective strategies may include increasing opportunities for social contact, promoting social skills development, enhancing social support networks, creating supportive environments in schools and communities, and providing mental health services targeting childhood loneliness,” study authors said in a statement.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) loneliness is as threatening to one’s health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
