Psicol Reflex Crit. 2026 May 8. doi: 10.1186/s41155-026-00392-3. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of loneliness increased significantly due to the challenging and adverse context arising from this global health emergency.
OBJECTIVE: To classify adults living alone according to perceived loneliness and affectivity and to examine their association with symptoms of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHOD: The design of this study was cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational. The sample consisted of 418 adults living alone, recruited through a non-probabilistic snowball sampling procedure using an online survey distributed via social media and email. To analyze the data, a cluster analysis was applied using the k-means method, the chi-squared test and the Odds Ratio statistic.
RESULTS: Two homogeneous groups were identified: Group 1 (n = 233) characterized by high levels of perceived loneliness, low levels of positive affect and high levels of negative affect; Group 2 (n = 185) showed low levels of perceived loneliness, high levels of positive affect and low levels of negative affect. Cluster 1 was more likely to have symptoms of psychological distress than cluster 2.
CONCLUSIONS: To summarize, loneliness among individuals who reside alone can have an impact on the likelihood of experiencing psychological distress and adverse effects.
PMID:42101766 | DOI:10.1186/s41155-026-00392-3
