Prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among a national sample of in-school adolescents in Morocco

Abstract

The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of loneliness among adolescents in Morocco. Data were analysed from 6 745 school adolescents (median age = 15 years) that participated in the 2016 Morocco cross-sectional Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Results show that the prevalence of loneliness was 19.8%; 15.0% among males and 25.1% among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, older age, girls, bullied, not having any close friends, anxiety-related sleep problems, frequent involvement in physical fighting, frequently experiencing hunger, low peer support, high sedentary behaviour during leisure time, and multiple serious injuries were associated with loneliness. The fact that one in five students reported loneliness calls for learner support intervention strategies for promoting their psychosocial and behavioural health well-being.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• health risk behaviours
• loneliness
• Morocco
• social factors

Acknowledgments

The data source, the “World Health Organization NCD Microdata Repository (URL: https://extranet.who.int/ncdsmicro-data/index.php/catalog)”, is hereby acknowledged.