Fact: Involuntary loneliness
Loneliness can be self-selected or involuntary, and it is primarily involuntary loneliness that can negatively affect health. Sweden stands out internationally by having many one-person households.
Almost every fourth person over the age of 16, 23 percent, states that they are bothered by loneliness.
It differs between different groups. For young adults, aged 16–29, 1 in 3 state that they are bothered by loneliness and isolation.
Among the elderly, aged 85 and over, 40 percent of women and almost 30 percent of men state that they are bothered by loneliness and isolation.
Source: Public Health Agency.
The Public Health Agency is commissioned by the government to map what it looks like with involuntary loneliness, something that every fourth person over the age of 16 in Sweden is bothered by, according to a survey that the Public Health Agency presented in December. A problem with extensive negative consequences, says Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed (KD).
— It not only leads to increased mental illness but also to increased physical illness. It is a striking image that the body’s blood vessels physically contract, it becomes a kind of chronic stress that leads to more cardiovascular diseases. It hurts and wounds the body of society in a clear way.
National strategy
The purpose of the survey is to produce a national strategy for how to deal with involuntary loneliness. Other authorities and civil society must be involved in the work, says Forssmed, but also business.
— What can housing companies do to create more community and warmth in the neighbourhood? What can commerce do to also create more warmth and these small interactions in everyday life that also matter.
Involuntary loneliness is most common among the oldest, 85 years and older, and it is a group that is prioritized, says Jakob Forssmed.
– We want to be able to conduct more outreach activities towards older people who we know have become more lonely during the pandemic, to give them a helping hand to be able to find the activities on offer, says Forssmed.
Want to break the stigma
Involuntary loneliness is common among men. In the age group 16–44, twice as many men as women stated that they lack someone to confide in. The men’s emergency room in Stockholm has seen a sharp increase in calls, where loneliness is one of the most common reasons why men contact the emergency room.
— Unfortunately, I am not surprised by the numbers, we know that it is more widespread in certain groups. I hope that when we now start this national strategy, I hope that it breaks some of the stigma that can be around talking about these issues.
The mapping must be completed in one year, after which a national strategy with various methods to break involuntary loneliness must be drawn up.