The coronavirus lockdown has caused children to suffer from loneliness, stress and fatigue, a study from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh found.

The number of youths feeling lonely increased three-fold during lockdown. 

A total of 28 per cent felt lonely most or all of the time during lockdown, compared to 9 per cent before.

Having to cope with their schoolwork from home added to their stress levels. More than half said they felt some or a lot of stress about this. 

And 55 per cent of teenagers surveyed were stressed about coronavirus, in general, some or most of the time.

Lockdown has also hit sleep, with 69 per cent saying they were going to bed later during lockdown.

A total of 39 per cent said their sleep was worse during lockdown, while 20% said it was better and 35 per cent said it was the same.

READ MORE: Police recorded 15 child offences every day last year as abuse crimes rise by 30 per cent

The universities surveyed 5,548 young people aged from 12 to 17 years. Research was conducted from May to July.

The results are part of a TeenCovidLife survey looking at how young people have been affected by changes due to lockdown.

A planned second survey will investigate young people's views about how their academic performance was assessed this year.

Dawn Haughton, schools research network manager at the University of Glasgow's Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network, said: "Teachers and schools across Scotland have done an incredible job to keep their communities connected through these difficult times."

She said her team was "delighted" to help young people's voices be heard during the pandemic, adding: "The young people have identified their concerns, enabling the schools to address these areas in a more targeted way."