Young mothers may be the loneliest people in the country, researchers believe.
More than 40 per cent of women who have babies before the age of 30 say they are lonely all or much of the time, a report by the Co-op Group and the British Red Cross reveals.
Some 82 per cent of mothers under 30 feel lonely some of the time, and a majority complain they no longer see their friends.
Other mothers in their teens and twenties say they have too little money to go out or they feel too tired.
Many of them would rather stay with their children than meet people, or say finding babysitters is too difficult to make it worthwhile.
Young mums are suffering from loneliness and many struggle financially, a poll of 2,500 adults has found
Loneliness in young mothers is causing health problems, according to a new study. More than 40 per cent of women who have babies before the age of 30 are lonely, study finds
Isolation among young mothers is particularly concentrated in single mothers, with 54 per cent saying they are lonely often or all the time. While 39 per cent of married or partnered mothers complain of loneliness.
The findings provide fresh evidence that loneliness most often afflicts the young and contradicts the widespread idea that older people are the most likely to be without friends.
The poll of 2,500 adults was carried out by Kantar Public and the research was also based on interviews with 100 people who said they were lonely.
A recent study by the Office for National Statistics, at the prompting of Theresa May, found that nearly one in ten people under the age of 24 say they are often or always lonely – a proportion three times higher than that found among over-65s.
Women who have children under the age of 30 now make up a minority of mothers. The average age of a new mother was 30.4 in England and Wales in 2016. Fertility rates among over 30s are rising as more women choose to pursue education and careers and to delay having families.
As a result younger mothers are more likely to be less well-educated, less well-off and without a husband or permanent partner. The most acute loneliness is among the youngest mothers, who are also the least likely to be married or living with the father of a child.
Some 49 per cent of mothers aged between 18 and 25 say they are often or always lonely, against 37 per cent of 26 to 30-year-olds.
Paul Gerrard of the Co-op said: ‘People do not think of young mothers as being susceptible to being lonely but our research clearly highlights that it is a major problem.’
Financial problems leaving Britain’s young mums suffering from loneliness. A huge 82 per cent of young mums said they felt lonely
Patients who most frequently see their GPs are the most likely to suffer loneliness on top of health problems, a sample of 1,752 GP patients has found.
Those with no network of friends are six times more likely to turn up at the surgery to see a doctor at least once a month. Social psychologist Dr Juliet Wakefield of Nottingham Trent University said: ‘The top 10 per cent of attendees to a GP account for 30 to 50 per cent of appointments, placing a considerable strain on the healthcare system.
‘They are likely to be dissatisfied with the care they receive, and are often cited by physicians as a cause of occupational stress and burnout. However, when these patients joined a social group, such as a local arts class or exercise group, their frequency of appointments fell.’