Loneliness and Subjective Wellbeing During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

To prevent the transmission of COVID-19, unprecedented measures were implemented, such as community lockdowns. With limited social interactions, the problem of loneliness might have worsened. As loneliness is thought to have a detrimental effect on subjective wellbeing (SWB), the present systematic review aims to better investigate and summarize the existing evidence about the association of loneliness and SWB during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 18 articles were included. In all studies, independently of the component of wellbeing assessed or of the instrument used, a negative association between loneliness and SWB was found. The results show an increase in loneliness during times of restrictions on social contacts, with a subsequent association with lower SWB, and underscore the need for developing specific interventions to tackle loneliness and for promoting alternative forms of social interaction if further physical distancing measures are needed. However, the literature had several limitations, since most of the studies followed cross-sectional and descriptive methodologies.