Background: Loneliness, a feeling of distress, has aggravated due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and reduced social interactions. The objective of this study was to explore whether increased loneliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with various eating and activity behaviours in adolescence, a critical period for the development of lasting lifestyle habits. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used self-reported data from 43,588 and 40,521 Canadian adolescents aged 12-19 years (collected between November 2020 and June 2021) for eating habits and the 24-hour movement behaviours, respectively. Binary and multinomial logistic regression were used to predict the odds of various lifestyle behaviours among adolescents with increased loneliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: We found higher odds of skipping breakfast [boys: OR 1.41 (95% CI: 1.33, 1.50), girls: OR 1.64 (95% CI: 1.56, 1.74)], fast food consumption [1-2 days in the past week: girls - OR: 1.14 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.21); ≥3 days in the past week: boys - 1.12 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.24), girls - OR: 1.42 (95% CI: 1.29, 1.57)], not meeting screen time [boys: OR 1.43 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.66), girls: OR 1.72 (95% CI: 1.54, 1.92)], and sleep duration guidelines [boys: OR 1.38 (95% CI: 1.28, 1.48), girls: OR 1.36 (95% CI: 1.27, 1.45)] among adolescents that reported increased loneliness due to the pandemic (versus those in the decreased/stayed the same loneliness group). Conclusion: Future longitudinal studies in adolescents are needed to confirm the directionality of these associations. It is important to raise awareness of these findings among public health practitioners, policymakers, physicians, schools and parents to promote healthier eating habits and increase adherence to the 24-hour movement behaviours. Recovery efforts post-pandemic are needed to reduce loneliness levels to support adolescent social health and establish healthy behavioural habits across the lifespan.

With the introduction of technology, our existence became different. Today we use technology for every aspect of our lives. We can study, work, communicate, and entertain ourselves. We find it very convenient to communicate via e-mail, text messaging, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, and Snapchat to connect with people in work, school, social and familial networks. Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed that Facebook's new mission is to "bring the world closer together" (Zuckerberg, 2017). The means of accomplishing that is through technological communication. According to research on close relationships and the use of technology as a way of communication, "mobile phone-based channels had stronger associations with friendship closeness" (Liu & Yang, 2016). However, it is also possible that something essential is lost in these electronic interactions. It is possible that both the value and meaning of the interaction changes when using technology rather than human communication. The primary purpose of this research was a) to examine whether technology use makes people feel more connected to others or lonelier, b) to discover how relationships are affected by online communication, particularly as it relates to satisfaction or closeness, and c) to see if people's personalities play a role in their technology use. It is essential to continue to expand and explore this research. Technology continues to develop and change at an increasingly fast rate. The impact of how we use and interact with this dynamic product can only be fully understood through continued examination and research.

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Då tidigare forskning har stort fokus på psykopatologi finns intresse att undersöka ungas vanor online i förhållande till psykiskt välbefinnande. I denna enkätbaserade tvärsnittsstudie undersöktes hur ungas vanor online (socialt användande, huvudsaklig aktivitet och tid), mattering, anti-mattering, och upplevelse av restriktioner under Covid-19-pandemin relaterar till ensamhet och subjektiv livskvalitet. Svar från 125st ungdomar mellan 18–25 år analyserades med hjälp av deskriptiv statistik, Spearman’s sambandsanalyser, Multipel regressionsanalys, MANOVA och loglinjär analys. Resultatet gav blandade svar angående tid (<4, 4+ h/dag) där tid inte på egen hand kunde predicera subjektiv livskvalitet, samtidigt visades ett samband mellan att spendera över 4 h/dag aktivt online och lägre subjektiv livskvalitet. Socialt användande var inte relaterat till något av utfallsmåtten. Huvudsaklig aktivitet (‘Gaming’, ‘Sociala medier’, ‘Gaming och sociala medier lika mycket’) uteslöts ur analys på grund av snedvridet urval. Resultaten av denna studie kunde alltså inte fullt ut stödja vikten av unga människors vanor online med avseende på ensamhet och subjektiv livskvalitet. Dock gav resultaten att mattering och anti-mattering tillsammans kan förklara varians i subjektiv livskvalitet och ensamhet. Dessutom erhölls samband mellan upplevelsen av att pandemins restriktioner påverkat hur betydelsefull och betydelselös den unge kände sig med mattering, anti-mattering, subjektiv livskvalitet och ensamhet. Föreliggande studie bidrar till ny kunskap om mattering, anti-mattering, ensamhet och subjektiv livskvalitet hos unga. Detta genom att visa hur viktiga mellanmänskliga upplevelser är i tider av osäkerhet. Studien problematiserar också att ungas vanor online kan behöva operationaliseras på andra vis för att representera kvalitet snarare än kvantitet. / Previous research has a strong focus on psychopathology rather than psychological well-being regarding online habits of young people. This cross-sectional study based on a survey explored how online habits of young people (social usage, main activity and time), mattering, anti-mattering, and experience of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic relates to loneliness and subjective quality of life (QoL). Responses from 125 people between the ages of 18–25 were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analyzes, multiple regression analysis, MANOVA and loglinear analysis. Results were indecisive regarding time (<4, 4+ h/day). Time on its own could not predict subjective QoL, whereas spending over 4 h/day actively online was associated with lower subjective QoL. Social usage was not related to the outcome measures. Main activity(‘Gaming’, ‘Social media’, ‘Gaming and Social Media equally’) was excluded from analysis due to skewness. Thus, the results of this study could not fully support the importance of young peoples’ habits online regarding loneliness and subjective QoL. However, the results showed that mattering and anti-mattering together could predict subjective QoL and loneliness. In addition, the experience of how restrictions affected how significant and insignificant the participants felt was associated with mattering, anti-mattering, subjective QoL and loneliness. Present study contributes knowledge about mattering, anti-mattering, loneliness and subjective QoL in young people. This by showing how important interpersonal experiences are in times of uncertainty. The study also problematizes that young people's online habits may need to be operationalized in other ways to represent quality rather than quantity.

Bakgrund Social isolering och ensamhet hos äldre är ett välkänt problem som är svårt att definiera, upptäcka och behandla. Det finns inga effektiva och standardiserade metoder för att diagnostisera problemen och ansvaret för att hantera konsekvenserna hamnar inte sällan hos personen själv eller hos deras närstående. Primärvården är den första linjen som äldre med dessa problem söker hjälp hos, men primärvården saknar i stor utsträckning den kunskap och de resurser som behövs för att åtgärda problemen. Författarna till denna litteraturöversikt har som avsikt att beskriva och uppmärksamma dessa komplexa problem som äldre ofta står inför. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva ensamhet och social isolering hos äldre personer som bor i eget boende. Metod En icke-systematisk litteraturöversikt genomfördes baserat på 18 vetenskapliga artiklar, publicerade 2012–2022, av både kvantitativ och kvalitativ design. De inkluderade artiklarna togs fram via de valda databaserna: PubMed, CINAHL och PsycInfo. Artiklarnas kvalitet värderades och innehållet i artiklarna analyserades och gav en sammanställning med fem huvudkategorier: Ensamhet, Upplevd hälsa, Upplevd hälsa och ensamhet under Covid-19, Hanteringsstrategier samt Primärvården och sjuksköterskans roll. Resultat Från de utvalda artiklarna framkom det att ensamhet och social isolering hos äldre var ett utbrett problem och riskfaktorerna för att utveckla ensamhet var hög ålder, kvinnligt kön, ekonomiska bekymmer, att bo ensam, att ha dålig upplevd hälsa och att sällan träffa familj och vänner. Olika strategier för att hantera problemen hittades och det framkom att de som redan hade goda hanteringsstrategier innan en kris fick mindre negativa utfall i samband med den. Slutsats Studien visade att äldre personer som upplever ensamhet eller social isolering inte alltid berättar om sina känslor och är missnöjda med den hjälp de fick från vården. De som hade sämre hälsa var i större utsträckning missnöjda. Att uppmärksamma och åtgärda dessa problem ligger i sjukvårdens och samhällets intresse av flera anledningar; för att förbättra livskvaliteten hos äldre och för att minska kostnader för vården. / Background Social isolation and loneliness in older people are a well-known problem that is difficult to define, detect and treat. There are no effective and standardized methods for diagnosing the problems and the responsibility for dealing with the consequences often falls with the person himself or with their relatives. Primary care is the first line that older people with these problems seek help from, but primary care largely lacks the knowledge and resources needed to remedy the problems. The authors of this literature review intend to describe and draw attention to these complex problems that older people often face. Aim The aim of this study was to describe loneliness and social isolation in communitydwelling older people. Method A non-systematic literature review was conducted based on 18 scientific articles, published 2012–2022, of both quantitative and qualitative design. The included articles were found via the selected databases: PubMed, CINAHL and PsycInfo. The quality of the articles was evaluated, and the content of the articles was analyzed and gave a compilation with five main categories: Loneliness, Perceived health, Perceived health and loneliness during Covid-19, Management strategies and Primary care and the role of the nurse. Results From the selected articles it emerged that loneliness and social isolation in the elderly was a widespread problem and the risk factors for developing loneliness were old age, female gender, financial worries, living alone, having poorly experienced health, and rarely meeting family and friends. Different strategies for dealing with the problems were found and it emerged that those who already had good management strategies before a crisis had fewer negative outcomes in connection with it. Conclusions The study showed that older people who experience loneliness or social isolation do not always share their feelings and are dissatisfied with the help they received from care. Those who were in poorer health were to a greater extent dissatisfied. Paying attention to and remedying these problems is in the interest of healthcare and society for several reasons; to improve the quality of life of the elderly and to reduce costs for care.

A total of 58 percent of elderly individuals receiving elderly care report experiencing loneliness, as indicated by the National Board of Health and Welfare's annual survey focused on this demographic. Regardless of the adverse effects of loneliness on health, addressing and acknowledging involuntary loneliness is crucial, given its potential to cause discomfort and diminish the wellbeing of the elderly. The objective of this study is to explore how aid officers, through conversations with the elderly, identify and address loneliness among this population. Additionally, the study aims to understand the actions aid workers take upon recognizing loneliness. The goal is to determine whether aid officers' perceptions of loneliness in the elderly are linked to various interventions provided by social services for this demographic. The research questions focus on how aid officers observe and address feelings of involuntary loneliness in the elderly, the nature of the needs assessment conducted by aid officers regarding these feelings, and the types of interventions offered to address loneliness among the elderly. The study adopts a qualitative approach, involving interviews with four aid officers from the Health Care and Care Administration. These aid officers are responsible for approving interventions, including social care for the elderly. The theoretical framework for interpreting the findings encompasses the activity theory and continuity theory. The results and analysis indicate that aid officers individually recognize and address loneliness in the elderly. However, they operate within common guidelines and templates, particularly in the context of social interventions where loneliness plays a role in the assessment for granting social interventions.

Mother Tongue is an exploration of loneliness as a first language. For the collection's speaker, loneliness is not an abstract emotion, but her first movement, first breath – her mother tongue. Through depictions of childhood and young adulthood, such as the origins of birth in "birth speak" or the mature reflections of "like adults should do," Mother Tongue answers the question — who does a child wrought with loneliness become? Using language to translate the sentiments of the body, the many faces of grief, and the mosaic of memory, the collection traverses the speaker's relationship with her mother as a nurturer of pain in poems like "on an evening walk in mt. vernon," with her father as a witness of his near-death experience in "the night I learn my father's kidneys are failing," and with her brother as a shadow of his mental illnesses in "a conversation with my brother as test." Throughout the collection, poems like "a letter to my father's subconscious" and "what I've learned about absence while studying korean" play with false cognates and the elasticity of sound, while poems like "glimmers" make a connection between the instinct of hunger and the recurrence of loneliness, where the speaker relishes, "in spanish, I can say I have hunger / as if I could give it back." Acting as Mother Tongue's anchor is the "vacation in_____" series, which features the speaker in conversation with a male partner and describes a depth of loneliness unalleviated by presence, ultimately conveying the inability to find satisfaction in another person. From grappling with an inner deadness in "[the dead girl]" to finding hope in "new heaven, new earth," Mother Tongue is a wrestle with language, the self, the past, and God, cementing itself as a journey toward reconciliation, and if possible, being birthed again.

När en kvinna får sitt första barn skapar hon en ny identitet som mamma. Hon ställs inför nya situationer vilket skapar en osäkerhet. Tidigare sociala sammanhang som till exempel arbete eller studier sätts på paus och även vänskapsrelationer kan genomgå en förändring. Känslor av ensamhet och oro leder till att individen söker sig till andra som har liknande upplevelser. Många kvinnor finner stöd i grupper som anordnas på Familjecentralen. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att förstå kvinnors upplevelser kring sitt identitetsskapande under första tiden som förälder samt vilken betydelse sociala relationer med andra nyblivna föräldrar har för att öka trygghet och skapa mindre ensamhet i föräldrarollen. Studien har använt socialpsykologiska teorier kring exempelvis självet, kategorisering och social jämförelse för att tolka och förstå respondenternas upplevelser. I studien utfördes 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer med förstagångsmödrar om deras upplevelser kring att bli mamma. Studiens resultat visar hur mammaidentiteten växer fram och hur kvinnans tro på sin egen förmåga är kopplat till barnets välmående. Barnet blir en del av kvinnans självbild. I föräldragruppen upplever kvinnorna en gemenskap med andra i samma situation. Råd, stöd, tankar och upplevelser delas i ett öppet klimat vilket tillsammans med möjlighet att rådfråga personal leder till ökad trygghet och minskad känsla av ensamhet. / When a woman has her first child, she creates a new identity as a mother. She is faced with new situations, which creates uncertainty. Previous social contexts such as work or studies are put on hold and even friendships can undergo a change. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety lead the individual to seek out others who have similar experiences. Many women find support in groups organized at the Family Centre. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand womens´ experiences regarding their identity creation during the first time as a parent, as well as the importance of social relationships with other new parents to increase security and create less loneliness in the parental role. The study has used social psychological theories regarding, for example, the self, categorization and social comparison to interpret and understand the respondents' experiences. In the study, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with first-time mothers regarding their experiences of becoming a mother. The study's results show how the mother's identity develops and how the woman's belief in her own abilities is linked to the child's well-being. The child becomes part of the woman's self-image. In the parent group, the women experience a community with others in the same situation. Advice, support, thoughts and experiences are shared in an open climate, which together with the opportunity to consult staff leads to increased security and a reduced feeling of loneliness.

This study will extend the current body of knowledge about how accessible and affordable information communication technologies (ICT; smartphones, tablets, and computers) can foster social interaction and reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults aged 55 plus. The first study is a systematic literature review of existing studies on ICT and the willingness of older adults to use technology. The second study is quantitative research that investigates the trust and reasoning of older adults using ICT, like smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction and the level of technological ownership. The second study is conducted using research data through surveys conducted by Pew Research Center on behalf of Princeton University. Finally, the third study explores the level of ownership of technology and methods to reduce social isolation using ICT. The effectiveness of smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction were reviewed to create a sense of community to reduce social isolation.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education