Loneliness among adolescents is a menace hindering mental health in our country.
Annually, Kenya joins the rest of the world in observing Mental Health Awareness month which takes place in May.
This year’s theme is loneliness, which is a significant public health issue and remains one of the key indicators of poor mental health.
Loneliness is a universal human emotion that is both complex and unique to each individual.
Because it has no single common cause, the prevention and treatment of this potentially damaging state of mind can vary.
Loneliness is associated with negative mental health outcomes and is particularly common among adolescents.
Yet, little is known about the dynamics of adolescent loneliness in non-Western and low-income nations like Kenya.
Loneliness, which has been deemed a public health concern by medical professionals and psychologists alike, is common among adolescents.
Adolescents are distinctly predisposed to loneliness due to developmental and emotional shifts during this stage of life.
Essentially, loneliness places youth at risk for a variety of negative health outcomes.
Loneliness during adolescence is associated with suicidal ideation, social withdrawal, poorer physical health, and psychopathology.
In adolescents, it has been routinely and closely linked to depression and social anxiety.
Dealing with loneliness can be rock-like. Solving it is crucial for mental fitness, health and general well-being.
As a country and on individual levels, there is so much we can do to deal with loneliness.
Researchers suggest that loneliness is associated with social isolation, poor social skills, introversion, and depression.
Loneliness, according to many experts, is not necessarily about being alone.
Instead, if you feel alone and isolated, then that is how loneliness plays into your state of mind.
Research addressing loneliness has increased over the past two decades.
However, despite the mental health risks associated with being lonely, the relationship between loneliness and psychiatric disorders has not been sufficiently explored or studied.
In Kenya for instance, very little research has been done on the psychological and physical effects of loneliness.
Likewise, despite the profound clinical import of loneliness on adolescent mental health, little is known about loneliness in Kenya.
It is a common experience with 80 per cent of the population below 18 years and 40 per cent above 65 years report loneliness at least sometimes in their life.
It is generally reported more among adolescents and young children, contrary to the myth that it occurs more in the elderly.
Former studies have shown that the prevalence of moderate to severe levels of depression and anxiety in Kenya, often greater than 40 per cent among adolescents, may result from high poverty levels.
As poverty has been identified as a risk factor for loneliness among adolescents in other low-income countries, Kenyan adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to loneliness as well.
Additionally, the Kenyan education system, which several observers have pointed out is particularly competitive and places high levels of psychosocial pressure on adolescents and has been implicated as a primary reason why older adolescents report elevated depression and anxiety symptoms.
At the within-population level, many Kenyan youths attend boarding schools from a young age and are separated from their caregivers and families, thus, boarding school students may be at greater risk for loneliness.
Lastly, Kenyan youths may be more vulnerable to loneliness due to changing family structures in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In nearly every part of the world, mental health conditions and the lack of caring responses cause significant suffering for children and young people and are a top cause of death, disease and disability, especially for older adolescents.
It is estimated that more than 13 per cent of adolescents globally live with a mental disorder.
If loneliness goes untamed for too long, it becomes deeply rooted in our daily experience, thus, increasing the risk of mental illness.
Loneliness can be both the driver and product of mental ill-health.
The top causes of loneliness include increased mobility every time we move, we leave behind communities and personal face-to-face connections.
Conclusively, we all feel lonely at times. It's natural to feel lonely, and you should not blame yourself for these feelings, now or any other time.
Humans are social beings. We all need human connection.
Without it, we may end up having a feeling of loneliness that leads to depression, and hopelessness.
Finally, it would be appropriate to include effective intervention programmes that aim to improve students' and adolescents' interpersonal problem-solving skills to reduce the level of loneliness and depression based on insecure attachment.
Communication student.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
