Loneliness In Adolescence Research Articles

Comparison of the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment based therapy (ACT) on proactiveness, increasing self-esteem, reducing mental ruminations in adolescent boys between 12 and 18 years old in Tehran

Life after parents' divorce seems impossible for many children. Children of divorce will experience new negative emotions from the day of divorce onwards. These feelings are so fluctuating that sometimes they are confused and startled by the oppositeness of these feelings, and they will suffer from common feelings such as anxiety, loneliness, and tendency to addiction. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and acceptance and commitment ACT therapy in reducing anxiety, loneliness and the tendency to addiction in male adolescents with divorced parents. The research method is practical in terms of purpose and semi-experimental in terms of data collection method. The statistical population of this research includes male teenagers with divorced parents in Qom city. According to the nature of the study method, the statistical sample size of this part of the research was 30 people. The research tools are UCLA Anxiety Questionnaire and Loneliness Questionnaire, Wade and Butcher Addiction Tendency Questionnaire, schema therapy and treatment based on acceptance and commitment. Based on the findings of the current research, it was determined that schema therapy was effective on the anxiety of male adolescents with divorced parents, therapy based on acceptance and commitment was effective on the anxiety of male adolescents with divorced parents, and schema therapy was effective on the loneliness of male adolescents with divorced parents. Treatment based on acceptance and commitment has been effective on the loneliness of male adolescents with divorced parents, schema therapy has been effective on the addiction tendency of male adolescents with divorced parents, treatment based on acceptance and commitment has been effective on the addiction tendency of male adolescents with divorced parents have been; It was also found that the treatment based on acceptance and commitment was more effective than schema therapy.

Predictors of loneliness among middle childhood and adolescence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social contexts (e.g., family, friends) are important in predicting and preventing loneliness in middle childhood (MC) and adolescence; however, these social contexts were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparison of social context factors that may differentially contribute to loneliness at each developmental stage (MC vs. adolescence) during the COVID-19 pandemic have been overlooked. This study examined longitudinal predictors of loneliness, including social contexts and COVID-19 impact, within MC (8-12y) and adolescence (13-17y). Parents reported on demographic information, and their children completed surveys on COVID-19 impact, loneliness, and family functioning using the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS), the NIH Toolbox Loneliness (Ages 8-17) measure, and the PROMIS Family Relationships Short Form 4a measure, respectively. Regression models examined time one (T1; May-June 2020) predictors of time two (T2; November 2020-January 2021) MC child (n=92, Mage=10.03) and adolescent (n=56, Mage=14.66) loneliness. For the MC child model, significant predictors of higher loneliness included worse family functioning as well as higher COVID-19 impact and lower family income. On the other hand, higher adolescent loneliness was significantly predicted by not having married/partnered parents and was marginally significantly predicted by higher COVID-19 impact. The regression model with the full sample and interaction terms revealed no significant interactions, but that lower family functioning and higher COVID-19 impact were significant predictors of higher loneliness. Lower family income and lower in-person communication were marginally significant predictors of higher loneliness in the combined interaction model. Lastly, further exploratory mediation analyses displayed that family functioning significantly mediated the relationship between COVID-19 impact and T2 loneliness only for MC children and the full sample. Results support future interventions focused on optimizing family functioning to help mitigate MC loneliness in the context of adversity, such as a global pandemic.

Adolescent loneliness in the COVID-19 era. The perspective of health behavior in a study on school-aged children in Poland

Adolescent loneliness in the COVID-19 era. The perspective of health behavior in a study on school-aged children in Poland

Pregled saznanja o uticaju pandemije bolesti COVID-19 na mentalno zdravlje i zavisnost od interneta među adolescentima

The COVID-19 pandemic began in China in December 2019, from where it spread throughout the world and caused a serious threat to both physical and mental health. People were afraid due to COVID-19 cases rapidly increasing all over the world and the quick changes in how people lived. Previous studies have clearly linked the pandemic with signs of depression, stress, anxiety, and suicide thoughts, as well as with excessive internet use. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the available scientific findings regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and internet addiction in adolescents. Having insight into the scientific literature on COVID-19, mental health, and internet addiction, we have concluded that during the COVID-19 pandemic time spent on the internet increased due to reduced social activities, which consequently led to internet addiction and thus to psychological distress, increased loneliness, and depression in adolescents. Early intervention is essential to reduce internet addiction and preserve the mental health of adolescents, especially in conditions of increased social stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understanding the Development of Chronic Loneliness in Youth.

Loneliness becomes more prevalent as youth transition from childhood into adolescence. A key underlying process may be the puberty-related increase in biological stress reactivity, which can alter social behavior and elicit conflict or social withdrawal ("fight-or-flight" behaviors) in some youth, but increased prosocial ("tend-and-befriend") responses in others. We propose an integrative theoretical model that identifies the social, personality, and biological characteristics underlying individual differences in social-behavioral responses to stress. This model posits a vicious cycle whereby youth who respond to stress with "fight-or-flight" tendencies develop increasing and chronic levels of loneliness across adolescence, whereas youth who display "tend-and-befriend" behaviors may be buffered from these consequences. Based on research supporting this model, we propose multiple intervention avenues for curtailing the prevalence of loneliness in adolescence by targeting key factors involved in its development: social relationships, personality, and stress-induced behavioral and biological changes.

Understanding Presence and Nature of Loneliness in Adolescents in Kolkata: An Exploratory Study

Understanding Presence and Nature of Loneliness in Adolescents in Kolkata: An Exploratory Study

Why am I always lonely? The lasting impact of childhood harsh parental discipline on adolescents' loneliness

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined the mechanism of the effect of childhood harsh parental discipline on the developmental trajectory of loneliness among adolescents.BackgroundMore and more adolescents experience the problem of loneliness. The effect of early parenting on the developmental change of adolescent loneliness has not been sufficiently determined.MethodA total of 1,214 Chinese high school adolescents responded to a series of questionnaires about loneliness, childhood harsh parental discipline, and core self‐evaluation three times at intervals of six months. The latent growth modeling and the structural equation model were established to investigate the developmental change of adolescent loneliness and the mechanism of childhood harsh parental discipline that affected the trajectory of adolescents' loneliness.ResultsThere was a linear growth pattern in loneliness among high school adolescents. Childhood parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment positively predicted the initial level of loneliness, and childhood parental corporal punishment negatively predicted the changing slope of loneliness. Core self‐evaluation mediated the effect of childhood parental psychological aggression on the trajectory of loneliness.ConclusionChildhood parental corporal punishment directly affected the trajectory of adolescents' loneliness while childhood parental psychological aggression indirectly affected the trajectory of adolescents' loneliness through core self‐evaluation.ImplicationsThis study further enriched the research content on the developmental change of loneliness among high school adolescents and revealed the long‐term effect and mechanism of childhood harsh parental discipline on the trajectory of adolescent loneliness, providing new ideas for preventing and alleviating loneliness among adolescents.

Feasibility of recruiting adolescents into a prospective cohort study of the effects of social isolation during COVID-19

BackgroundSocial connection and loneliness in adolescence are increasingly understood as critical influences on adult mental and physical health. The unique impact of the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown on emerging adults is therefore expected to be especially profound. We sought to investigate the feasibility of using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and wearable accelerometers to characterize the effects of social isolation and/or loneliness experienced by adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe recruited 19 participants aged 13–18 from an Adolescent Medicine practice in Atlanta, GA. Participants completed surveys at baseline and throughout a 2-week study period using EMA regarding their degree of social isolation, loneliness, family functioning, school climate, social media use, and COVID-19 experiences surrounding their physical, mental, and social domains. Six participants agreed to wear an activity tracker and heart rate measurement device for 14 days to monitor their emotional state and physical health. Participant feedback was collected via open-ended exit interviews. Feasibility of recruitment/retention, adherence, and outcome measures were investigated. Implementation was also assessed by evaluating the barriers and facilitators to study delivery. Associations between the social isolation and loneliness variables and all other variables were performed with univariate linear regression analysis with significance set at p < 0.05. The progression criteria were a recruitment rate of > 30% and a retention rate of > 80%.ResultsProgression criteria were met for recruitment (76%) of participants, but not retention (38%). Adherence to EMA survey completion was highly variable with only 54% completing ≥ 1 survey a day, and accelerometry use was not feasible. Social isolation was significantly correlated with lower school climate, higher COVID-19 experiences, higher depression scores, and lower sleep quality. Loneliness also showed a significant correlation with all these factors except COVID-19 experiences.ConclusionsEMA and wearable accelerometer use was not feasible in this longitudinal study of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further investigate barriers to conducting long-term research with adolescents and the potential effects of the pandemic on subject recruitment and retention.

Global time trends of perceived loneliness among adolescents from 28 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas

BackgroundPerceived loneliness in adolescence is associated with a plethora of adverse outcomes. However, data on its temporal trends are scarce. Therefore, we aimed to examine the temporal trend of perceived loneliness among school-going adolescents aged 12–15 years from 28 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, where temporal trends of loneliness are largely unknown. MethodsCross-sectional data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey 2003–2017 were analyzed. Perceived loneliness referred to feeling lonely most of the time or always in the past 12 months. Crude linear trends of perceived loneliness by country were assessed by linear regression models. ResultsData on 180,087 adolescents aged 12–15 years were analyzed [Mean (SD) age 13.7 (1.0) years; 51.4 % females]. The overall prevalence of perceived loneliness was 10.7 %. Among the 28 countries included in the study, significant increasing and decreasing trends were observed in six counties each, with stable trends found in 16 countries. The most drastic increase and decrease were observed in Egypt between 2006 (7.9 %) and 2011 (14.3 %), and in Samoa between 2011 (23.3 %) and 2017 (8.0 %), respectively. Stable trends with high prevalence across time were also common. ConclusionOur data suggest that perceived loneliness among adolescents is a global phenomenon, which has seen little improvement if any in recent years. It would be prudent to implement nationwide policies to combat loneliness globally.

Identifying characteristics of adolescents with persistent loneliness during COVID-19: A multi-country eight-wave longitudinal study.

Elevated loneliness experiences characterise young people. While loneliness at this developmental juncture may emerge from age-typical upheaval in social relationships, there is little data on the extent to which young people experience high and persistent levels of loneliness, and importantly, who is most vulnerable to these experiences. Using the widespread social restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which precipitated loneliness in many, we aimed to examine adolescents' loneliness profiles across time and the demographic predictors (age, sex, and country) of more severe trajectories. Participants aged 12-18years, recruited into a multi-wave study (N=1039) across three sites (UK, Israel, and India) completed a 3-item loneliness measure fortnightly across 8 timepoints during the pandemic. Latent class growth analysis suggested 5 distinct trajectories: (1) low stable (33%), (2) low increasing (19%), (3) moderate decreasing (17%), (4) moderate stable (23%), and (5) high increasing (8%). Females and older adolescents were more likely to experience persistently high loneliness. These findings indicate a need for interventions to reduce loneliness in adolescents as we emerge from the pandemic, particularly for those groups identified as being at highest risk.

A Brief Description of How Teachers Experience An Infographic Loneliness Toolkit About Supporting Adolescents to Overcome Loneliness.

Loneliness is a common experience amongst adolescents. As adolescents spend much of their time in school, it is important that school staff can support adolescent students experiencing loneliness. The current study aimed to explore teachers' experiences of a 1-page loneliness toolkit regarding adolescent loneliness. An online survey to collect ratings and descriptions of experiences was distributed to secondary school teachers. Findings showed that both self-rated knowledge and experience of students experiencing loneliness were positively correlated with how useful teachers found the loneliness toolkit. Three themes were developed about how useful teachers found the toolkit; clarity, brings attention to loneliness, and communication. Two themes were developed about how the user experience of the toolkit could be improved; education, and interactive student support. Future research should investigate more effective methodologies aimed at supporting adolescents experiencing loneliness to aid teachers in supporting their students.

Hubungan Antara Kesepian dengan Online Self-Disclosure pada Remaja yang Menggunakan Instagram di Bukittinggi

Loneliness is a subjective feeling that arises through emotional reactions and is the result of an individual's perception of interpersonal relationships and satisfaction with social relationships. Online self-disclosure exists as a form of coping with the loneliness felt by teenagers. Instagram is a social media for online self-disclosure. This research aims to obtain empirical data and to determine the relationship between loneliness and online self-disclosure among teenagers who use Instagram in Bukittinggi. This research uses a correlational quantitative approach. The subjects of this study amounted to 297 teenage Instagram users in Bukittinggi using cluster random sampling techniques. Data is processed using product moment correlation with SPSS 25 for windows. The results of the analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between loneliness and online self-disclosure in adolescents who used Instagram in Bukittinggi.

"Alone Again, Naturally": Mental Health Problems, Level of Personality Functioning, Social Withdrawal and Loneliness in Adolescents Admitted as Acute Inpatients in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Background: Adolescents admitted as acute inpatients belong to a particularly psychosocially vulnerable population. This study aimed to examine the clinical characteristics of an affected population in Germany using a theory-based approach. (2) Methods: We assessed the mental health problems, levels of personality functioning, and the severity of social withdrawal and loneliness in n = 62 adolescents admitted to an acute psychiatric inpatient unit. Cases were investigated cross-sectionally utilizing standardized psychometric questionnaires from the perspective of the patients and clinical experts. (3) Results: Mental health, level of impaired personality functioning, social withdrawal, and loneliness were all positively associated with the need for acute admission. Further analyses revealed that the level of personality functioning fully mediated the positive association between social withdrawal and mental health problems. In contrast, level of personality functioning only partially mediated the positive association between loneliness and mental health problems. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that more impairment in personality functioning might lead to poorer mental health when adolescents socially withdraw in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness, social withdrawal, and the level of personality functioning may help identifying essential characteristics of adolescents admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient units and guide the development of specific interventions.

Investigating on the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Adolescent Loneliness

In contemporary times, the utilization of social media by adolescents has raised significant concerns and apprehensions among both societal and familial circles. Extensive research has consistently shown that the usage of social media by teenagers is closely linked to the emergence of loneliness, thereby establishing a conclusive association between the two phenomena. However, these findings need to provide directional evidence to prove a decisive causal relationship between the two directly. This study examines the association between teenagers use of social media and loneliness in terms of frequency of social media use, age, gender, usage patterns, motivation, and platform of use, as well as a summary of the roles of various contributing factors. This research claims that social media use and loneliness are bidirectional and dynamic. Among the population of adolescents, the motivation and manner in which they use social media can influence whether they benefit from social media use or whether it continues to deepen their feelings of isolation.

Characteristics of Psychological Separation from Parents, Subjective Experience of Loneliness and Self-Attitude in Adolescents with a Tendency to Self-Injurious Behavior

The aim of the study was to analyze the psychological characteristics of separation from parents, the subjective experience of loneliness and self-attitude in adolescents with self-damaging behavior. The sample consisted of 108 teenagers from the city of Novosibirsk aged 15 to 18 years with and without self-harm. The tools for collecting material were: the author’s questionnaire; methodology “Scale of causes of self-damaging behavior” N.A. Polish; PSI (Psychological Separation Inventory) methodology adapted by V.P. Dzukaeva and T.Yu. Sadovnikova; D. Russell’s scale of subjective feelings of loneliness (UCLA, version 3) adapted by I. N. Ishmukhametov; methodology “Personal differential”, adapted at the Research Institute. V.M. Bekhterev. As a result, it was found that adolescents with self-damaging behavior had significantly lower indicators of conflict separation with their father and mother and higher indicators of emotional separation with their father. In the self-attitude of these adolescents, there is a feeling of their low value, self-rejection, dependence on external assessments, difficulties with self-regulation and self-control. Also, adolescents with self-harm experience a feeling of loneliness as a state of discomfort against the background of feeling their low value and misunderstanding by others.

Dual Factor Model: exploring different social sources and loneliness of adolescents in Luxembourg

Abstract Background The Dual Factor Model (DFM) of mental health incorporates both subjective well-being (SWB) and psychopathology symptoms, proposing a more comprehensive approach to mental health. As such, four groups can be distinguished in accordance with the level of SWB and psychopathology symptoms: 1. complete mental health; 2. incomplete mental health; 3. incomplete mental illness; 4. complete mental illness. Social support and loneliness are known to influence both SWB and psychopathology symptoms. The aim of this study is to explore the odds of different sources of support and loneliness in the different mental health groups, as proposed by the DFM, in adolescents in Luxembourg. Methods A total of 7201 adolescents aged 11 to 18-years old participated in the 2022 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children in Luxembourg. In order to categorize the DFM mental health groups, SWB was measured using the WHO-5 Index and anxiety symptomatology (GAD-2) was used for psychopathology symptoms. Social support (from family, peers, teacher and classmates) and loneliness were analyses using a multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, family affluence and family composition. Results Adolescents who perceive a low (in comparison to good) classmate support and teacher support and feel lonely have an increasing chance of being in the Incomplete Mental Health, Incomplete Mental Illness and Complete Mental Illness (e.g. classmate support: OR = 1.69, OR = 2.19 and OR = 2.79, respectively). Discussion The lack of support from the school sources and feeling loneliness are the most important factors increasing the probability to be part of the Complete Mental Illness group. Prevention strategies should focus on improving the school setting conditions. School is a privileged place for health promotion, offering a comprehensive, sustained and effective means of intervention for the target population. Key messages • In Luxembourg, the four groups of the Dual Factor Model of mental health vary according to the source and level of support and loneliness. • Low classmate and teacher support as well as feeling of loneliness contributes to Complete Mental Illness (low SWB and moderate to high symptomology of anxiety) in adolescents, in Luxembourg.

Association between bullying victimization and post-traumatic stress disorders among Chinese adolescents: a multiple mediation model

BackgroundResearch that focused on the mechanisms underlying the relation between school bullying victimization and PTSD ignored the simultaneous effect of emotional and cognitive factors, which may limit our comprehensive understanding of their roles. Besides, most researchers included non-bullying victims in data analysis, and this may mask the true effect among bullying victims. The present study aimed to explore the relation between bullying victimization and PTSD, and the mediating roles of social anxiety, loneliness, and rumination, after filtering out non-bullying victims.Materials and methodsIn April 2019, we used convenience sampling to recruit 5013 students from Grade 10 and 11 in two high schools in Anhui Province, China. The mean age of these students was 16.77 (SD = 0.92) years. They completed five self-report questionnaires including the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-Student Chinese Revision (DBVS-S), the modified PTSD Checklist, the Social Anxiety Scale, the Adolescent Loneliness Scale, and the Rumination Scale. Further, a total of 443 bullying victims were screened out for this study according to the critical score of the DBVS-S.ResultsThe results showed that bullying victimization had a direct and positive association with PTSD among adolescents (β = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.046–0.252). Bullying victimization was positively associated with PTSD through increasing adolescents’ social anxiety (β = 0.06, 95%CI: 0.017–0.105), as well as through increasing their loneliness (β = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.109–0.215). In addition, bullying victimization was positively associated with PTSD through social anxiety via loneliness (β = 0.04, 95%CI: 0.013–0.067), as well as through loneliness via rumination (β = 0.02, 95%CI: 0.003–0.033). Bullying victimization was also positively associated with PTSD through a three-step path from social anxiety to rumination via loneliness (β = 0.004, 95%CI: 0.001–0.009).ConclusionsSocial anxiety, loneliness, and rumination have important mediating effects in the relation between bullying victimization and adolescents’ PTSD, in which emotional factors (e.g., social anxiety, loneliness) are more crucial than cognitive factors (e.g., rumination). Intervention should pay more attention to timely alleviate victims’ emotional problems to reduce the risk of developing PTSD.

The mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents. MethodsThis descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 1225 adolescent students attending high school in a province in Eastern Turkey between 30 May 2023 and 01 August 2023. The study data were collected using the “Personal Information Form”, “Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale”, “UCLA Loneliness Scale-Short Form” and “Ostracism Experience Scale for Adolescents”. The analysis of the study data was performed by using SPSS 22.0, AMOS V 24.0, and G*Power 3.1 Statistical package software. ResultsIt was determined that the model created in line with the determining the mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents was compatible and the model fit indices were within the desired limits x2/df = 4.481, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.96, AGFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.96. Social media addiction has been found to affect loneliness and social ostracism (p < 0.05). It was found that social ostracism affected the level of loneliness (p < 0.05). It was determined that social ostracism had a mediating role in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness (p < 0.05). ConclusionAs the level of social media addiction increases, the level of loneliness and social ostracism increases. As the level of social ostracism increases, the level of loneliness increases. Longitudinal studies on the factors affecting loneliness are recommended. Practice implicationsIn order to reduce the loneliness and social ostracism levels of adolescents, their access to social media should be controlled. Programs to reduce social ostracism should be designed.

Comorbidity of loneliness and social anxiety in adolescents: Bridge symptoms and peer relationships

RationalePrevious research investigating the comorbidity of loneliness and social anxiety symptoms in population samples has relied on latent variable modeling in which averaged scores representing dimensions were derived from observed symptoms. Studies have not examined how loneliness and social anxiety co-occur at the symptom level or their relations with peer relationships. ObjectiveThis study examined the comorbidity of loneliness and social anxiety and the role of peer relationships (i.e., the number of reciprocated friends, friendship quality, and bullying victimization) in adolescents’ co-occurring network using a large sample of Chinese adolescents. MethodsWe performed a network analysis in a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 2601, 51.6% male, M age = 13.9 years, SD = 0.60). Participants completed self-report measures of loneliness, social anxiety, bullying victimization, and friendship quality as well as peer nomination measures of the number of reciprocated friends. ResultsNetwork analysis revealed that feeling ridiculed, fear of being rejected, having difficulty asking others to do things together, and feeling left out at school were essential bridge symptoms in the co-occurrence of loneliness and social anxiety. Bullying victimization had more positive associations with symptoms of social anxiety, and friendship quality had more negative associations with symptoms of loneliness. ConclusionsThe findings provide preliminary evidence for the comorbidity of loneliness and social anxiety symptoms in adolescents. The results also highlight the potential importance of targeting peer relationships in the prevention and intervention of loneliness and social anxiety symptoms. The combination of longitudinal networks and interventions on bridge symptoms may provide further insight into the development of the links between peer relationships, loneliness, and social anxiety symptoms.

Fear of Missing Out, Reflective Smartphone Disengagement, and Loneliness in Late Adolescents.

Reflective smartphone disengagement (i.e., deliberate actions to self-regulate when and how one should use one's smartphone) has become a necessary skill in our ever-connected lives, contributing to a healthy balance of related benefits and harms. However, disengaging from one's smartphone might compete with impulsive psychosocial motivators such as fear of missing out (FoMO) on others' rewarding experiences or feelings of loneliness. To shed light into these competitive processes, the present paper disentangles the reciprocal, over-time relationships between reflective smartphone disengagement, FoMO, and loneliness using data from a two-wave panel study among emerging adults (16-21 years of age). Measurement-invariant structural equation modeling suggests that FoMO and reflective smartphone disengagement negatively predict each other over time, indicating a possible spiraling process. In addition, reflective smartphone disengagement was also negatively related to feelings of loneliness. Together, these findings underline (a) how young people's impulsive and reflective system compete with each other over control of their smartphone usage, where (b) psychosocial benefits of reflective smartphone disengagement were validated among emerging adults, potentially helping them to strengthen the benefits and limit the harms of permanent interactions with and through technology.