New Delhi, 13 September (IANS). If all your friends were imaginary in childhood, then maybe your troubles may not have ended. Research has shown that loneliness can cause many problems when loneliness in childhood – when it comes to mental health.
A new study recently published has found that these feelings of loneliness can also affect health.
A study published in the JAMA Network Open found that children suffering from loneliness are more likely to experience coonate decline and dementia when they are adults. This situation can remain even when they are not alone in later years.
These findings are especially worrying because 80% of people of Generation G feel isolated – double compared to senior citizens – while members of Generation Alpha are struggling to create new friends amidst this epidemic of loneliness.
In this latest study, childhood loneliness has been defined as the persistent feelings of loneliness and lack of intimate friendship before the age of 17.
According to the research team, these emotions can lead to ways to deal with inappropriate circumstances, and adverse effects can maintain adulthood.
The authors of the study said, “Children who experience loneliness often adopt unhealthy behavior to reduce emotional stress … These practical and psychological factor can adversely affect nervous development, which affects cognitive performance in later life.”
In addition, childhood loneliness can adversely affect the brain, such as high levels of cortisol, hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, damage to hippocampus, oxidative stress and incontinence of immune system.
-IANS
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