Secondary school students who are socially isolated go on to leave school with poorer job prospects, fewer qualifications, and higher risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training), according to a new study.
Feeling lonely was not associated with reduced isolation over time, challenging the widespread belief that loneliness pushes isolated people to reconnect with others.
While current UK policies attempt to tackle NEET with job skills and opportunities, the study suggests social connection is also important, the report from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, found.
The study, published in Development and Psychopathology, drew on data from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, to follow 2,232 individuals born in England and Wales during 1994-1996.
Loneliness and social isolation were assessed at ages 12 and 18, allowing the researchers to track how each one develops over time and independently influence young people’s lives.
Researchers found that children who were socially isolated in early adolescence were significantly more likely to be NEET, have fewer qualifications and be less employable years later – even after accounting for loneliness, mental health, and family background.
Loneliness and isolation can become a self-reinforcing cycle
They believe it is the first time that the education and employment consequences of childhood social isolation have been identified.
The findings call into question the use of isolation as a punitive measure in schools, in which SEND pupils are disproportionately badly affected.
Researchers said social isolation shapes a person’s long term employment prospects and suggests that addressing it in early adolescence could benefit young people and yield economic benefits through increased productivity.
Lasting consequences
Dr Bridget Bryan, lead author and Research Fellow at King’s College London, said: “Our findings show the lasting consequences of social isolation on young people’s employment prospects, likely driven by its impact on the social skills, education and mental health young people need to navigate the job market.
“Given the concern about growing NEET rates, these findings suggest that tackling childhood social isolation could be a valuable lever for improving young people’s life chances and job prospects.”
Loneliness and isolation are often treated as the same thing, but they do differ, academics said.
Isolation is a child being cut off from friends and peers, like sitting alone at break times or not being chosen for group activities, regardless of how they feel about it.
Loneliness, by contrast, is about how a young person feels about their connections, and it’s possible to experience one without the other.
By looking at loneliness and isolation together, the researchers could test a long-standing theory that loneliness serves a useful purpose by pushing isolated people to reconnect with others, but found no evidence of this.
Children who were isolated and lonely at 12 remained just as isolated at 18 as children who were isolated but not lonely, suggesting loneliness doesn’t reliably prompt young people to rebuild their social lives.
Dr Timothy Matthews, co-author and Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich, said: “For a long time, it’s been assumed that loneliness pushes people to reconnect, but our findings suggest that isn’t happening for the young people who need it most.
“Instead, loneliness and isolation can become a self-reinforcing cycle, where being cut off from others feeds feelings of loneliness, which in turn make it harder to reconnect.”
Schools are well placed to notice when a child is withdrawn or isolated from peers
Beyond employment and education, both loneliness and social isolation in childhood were linked to a wider range of poor outcomes in young adulthood, including mental health difficulties, lower life satisfaction, poorer sleep and weaker coping skills.
Taken together, the findings highlight the far-reaching and long-lasting consequences of loneliness and isolation.
Early support
The researchers say the findings point to a need for early support that addresses social difficulties directly, rather than assuming that a lonely or isolated child will naturally find their way back to other people.
Dr Louise Arseneault, senior author and Professor of Developmental Psychology at King’s, said: “Current UK government support for young people who are NEET has largely focused on building job skills and access to opportunities, but our findings suggest that’s only part of the picture.
“Schools and services are often well placed to notice when a child is withdrawn or isolated from peers and addressing that early could make a real difference for a young person’s future.”
