Arizona State University researchers found that loneliness before age 12 correlated with stress levels and alcohol abuse in young adults . Loneliness in older adults can lead to dementia, heart disease, and stroke .
Washington, DC, July 19: According to new research, loneliness as a pre-adolescent child can lead to a drinking problem years later, in early adulthood.Alcohol use is not the only health problem attributed to loneliness.Loneliness in older adults can lead to dementia, heart disease, and stroke.Researchers from Arizona State University investigated the impact of childhood loneliness on stress levels and drinking habits in young adults.
According to Julie Patock-Peckham, assistant research professor in the ASU Department of Psychology, childhood loneliness before age 12 was correlated with perceived anxiety right now and affected dysregulated drinking.The research team tested whether past loneliness caused alcoholism in young adults.The project involved over 300 undergraduate students who completed surveys about childhood loneliness, present stress levels, and drinking habits.Feeling lonely in the past was related to present-day stress levels and alcohol abuse, according to Patock-Peckham, who said that higher levels of loneliness before age 12 correlated with greater alcohol use and alcohol-related issues in early adulthood. Combating childhood loneliness should help to eliminate impaired drinking awareness, particularly among females.