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A new research project, which aims to form a national picture on how younger Australians experience loneliness during life transitions, will be led by with the help of three years of funding from the .

Australians aged 18鈥�25 are experiencing loneliness at very high rates, with younger adults, young men and those living alone or alone with children at particularly high risk 鈥� and research indicates that loneliness is associated with existing and persistent mental ill health. Life transitions 鈥� such as finishing high school, leaving home or becoming a parent 鈥� can be particularly stressful periods and can also increase experiences of loneliness.

鈥淲e know that life transitions can be very tough, and sometimes very lonely, for young people,鈥� said Professor Victoria Palmer, Co-Director of ALIVE National.

鈥淪o this suggests that these periods of transition could be an optimal time to reduce or prevent the potential negative mental and physical health outcomes associated with loneliness.鈥�

The research project, dubbed 鈥楢-Part of the Crowd鈥�, will invite young people from diverse backgrounds to share their personal experiences of loneliness during life transitions and then create an online community space for the public to access. The research will then be used to co-design a social care model aimed at helping young Australians experiencing loneliness.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know enough about the difficulties of isolation and loneliness for young adult communities, and so we don鈥檛 have systems in place to help them in the ways that they need,鈥� Palmer said.

鈥淒eveloping a picture of how loneliness is experienced during these critical life stages for people from diverse backgrounds, regions and ages is essential if we want to co-design of a responsive model to provide care that can be implemented in primary care and community settings.鈥�

Dr Jessica Choong, from the Medibank Better Health Foundation, said Medibank鈥檚 support of the project is part of a 10-year commitment to help address loneliness in Australia.

鈥淟oneliness is prevalent in our community right now, and is particularly affecting young adults going through significant life changes,鈥� Choong said. 鈥淲hile it鈥檚 normal to feel lonely, chronic loneliness is linked to poor physical and mental health and can lead to long-term health implications. The more we can do to understand the experience of loneliness, the better we can be at helping address it.鈥�

The project team expects to be able to explore its co-designed model of care within an implementation study design in 2025.

Image credit: iStock.com/fizkes