MORE than half of Southampton's young people think that loneliness and mental health were related, new research has revealed.

No Limits Youth Ambassadors, a group of young people committed to social action and change in Southampton, conducted a two-week survey asking children and young people in the City about youth loneliness.

It revealed that 62 per cent of young people felt that mental health and loneliness were related.

A further 33 per cent of young people felt mental ill health leads to loneliness, with 16 per cent believing they occurred together.

Of the 70 participants, 23 per cent of young people also said they felt they had no one to turn to, which is higher than levels seen nationally and in previous research carried out by No Limits in Southampton.

Toni-Marie Leaf, Service Manager at No Limits, said: “Here at No Limits we want to raise awareness of the signs, impacts and support available for young people who are suffering from mental ill health and loneliness.

"We’re here to support young people across the City and be as accessible as we can for those who are experiencing loneliness.”

The survey revealed that young people felt the correlation between mental health illnesses and loneliness was due to a lack of support services, youth clubs and long waiting lists for support. Social media was also a reoccurring response, with 60 per cent of young people reporting social media to have an impact on mental health and 57 per cent saying social media impacted on youth loneliness.

No Limits are holding an event on March 26 from 5-6.30pm at John Hansard Gallery, where there will be an opportunity to talk to the young people involved in the research about their work as well as where young people can access advice and support.