Young More Susceptible to Loneliness Than the Old

Loneliness is one of the top five worries for 21 percent of young people aged 18-24, compared with only 8 percent of people aged 55 and over, a British survey found on Monday.

Pollsters YouGov asked more than 2,000 people across the UK and Ireland to list their top five worries over the past year.

It found that money worries were the most frequently cited cause of concern this year, followed by problems in relationships with family and friends, physical health concerns, fears over job security and workplace stress.

One in 20 people described 2009 as their worst year ever, in the poll, carried out for the emotional support charity Samaritans.

Eighteen percent said they thought it had been a good year.

The survey, which was carried out online between November 27 and 30, found that 25 percent of women put their appearance or ageing as a top concern, against 18 percent of men, and over twice as many women (23 percent) listed their ability to cope emotionally with life as men (11 percent).

Samaritans' Chief Executive Catherine Johnstone said: "In the last year, Samaritans received five million calls and many of them were about the worries identified in this survey, with approximately one in every ten calls linked to financial stress."

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She urged people not to let their concerns spiral out of control: "If people don't talk about their problems, they can build up over time and spiral into more serious emotional distress.

"Sharing your troubles can be a huge relief and is often the first step to finding a way of coping with the challenges that life throws at all of us."

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Source-AFP
TAN