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Toward a social psychology of loneliness Personal relationships 3
... Conceptually, loneliness is distinguished from the objective absence of social relationships, through a cognitive discrepancy approach (Peplau 1982;Verity et al. 2021). Loneliness is understood as the perceived discrepancy between an individual's desired or expected form of social relationships and the individual's actual social relationships (Perlman and Peplau 1981), in terms of relational quantity and/or quality (Qualter et al. 2015). Once placed in these terms, loneliness can be the consequence of a suboptimal quantity or quality of relationships, or higher relational expectations, or both (Marangoni and Ickes 1989). ...
... Participants were overwhelmingly using their school experience as a frame of reference to shape their expectations for university, especially in relation to the effort required to form relationships. This amplified a disparity between expectations and experience (Perlman and Peplau 1981). ...
Introduction
Young adulthood (ages 18–25) is a high‐risk period for loneliness, particularly during educational transitions. Loneliness has negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and educational achievement. Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy between expected and experienced social connection, but this has been under‐explored during young adulthood.
Method
Drawing on thematic analysis of eight focus groups with 21 young adults in the UK, this paper explores the differences between retrospective expectations and experience of social connection during the transition into university and the implications for loneliness.
Results
Whilst social expectations, experiences, and preferences vary considerably, young adults' perception of whether expectations are met is ostensibly more consequential for understanding social (dis)satisfaction than objective indicators of the social experience, such as number or quality of friendships. Moreover, discrepancies between social expectations and experience are intensified by a widespread presumption that social relationships in adulthood will form and function as they did at school, resulting in unexpected barriers, challenges, and effort involved in friendship formation.
Conclusions
The findings affirm the importance of addressing loneliness holistically during points of transition and creating socially supportive communities for young adults, particularly at university.
... Loneliness, defined as the discrepancy between desired and actual relationships (Perlman & Peplau, 1981), is an important societal issue, with purported long-term effects on physical and mental health (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006). Several models have been proposed to explain how loneliness develops and persists. ...
Attention bias toward social threat has been linked to loneliness and anxiety, though findings are mixed and concerns about measurement reliability persist. This study examined whether state and trait loneliness, along with personality, self-esteem, social anxiety, and life satisfaction, are associated with attention bias toward social threat images (indicating rejection or exclusion) in young adults (n = 241). AI-generated images were used to enhance control over stimulus content and category distinction. Participants completed an eye-tracking free-viewing task comprising 40 image matrices (four images per matrix, displayed for 6000 ms) and attention bias (dwell time percentage, total fixation duration percentage, and fixation count percentage) and initial orientation of attention (first fixation percentage) were computed. Attention bias measures showed adequate to good internal consistency (α = 0.61–0.86). No significant associations emerged between loneliness and attention to socially threatening stimuli, suggesting that heightened vigilance to social threat may not be a feature of loneliness in non-clinical young adults. However, it was found that females exhibited greater attention to social positive images, and baseline pupil diameter was associated with social anxiety. Future research should assess whether loneliness-specific attention bias is a replicable phenomenon, ideally by using an extreme-sampling approach with very lonely individuals.
... Moreover, the more an individual cares about social connectedness with others, the more their self-esteem is dependent upon their NTB level. The negative feelings associated with loneliness arise from a discrepancy between individuals' desired and achieved social connections [36]. The NTB has been proposed to have two main features: people need frequent personal contacts with other people, and people need to perceive the stability and affective concern in their interpersonal bonds [7]. ...
The present study (N = 367) investigated the association of the cone of direct gaze (CoDG; a range within which slightly averted gaze is accepted as direct gaze) width with the need to belong (NTB) and the possible further influence of NTB on self-esteem and loneliness. Results showed that: (i) men’s CoDG width predicted the NTB, self-esteem, and loneliness; (ii) men’s narrow CoDG predicted high loneliness via a high NTB and low self-esteem; (iii) a narrow CoDG was associated with low self-esteem via high loneliness only in high-NTB men. Among women, the CoDG width was not associated with the NTB, self-esteem, and loneliness. The findings are discussed considering the formation and maintenance of relationships together with gender differences.
... When individuals experience insufficient and unsatisfactory social interactions, they tend to withdraw from their environment and society, feel isolated and lonely. Researchers stated that loneliness is perceived as a cause of sadness that results from a mismatch between the person's intended and actual social relationships (Perlman & Peplau, 1981;Kaymaz et al., 2014;Özçelik & Barsade, 2011). It is also seen as a sign of weakness. ...
Technology has made a huge growth and impact on human's life, and it has profoundly changed the experience of our life in day-today basis. This technology has facilitated us and improves our everyday lives in various ways. With the technological advancement the popularity of Internet as a source of communication, entertainment, networking, etc is also becoming an ever-increasing part of people's life. But at the same time excessive use of Internet is also intruded the life of the users in persistent negative consequences such as academic failure, job loss, procrastination, social problems, poor health, disruptive sleep, etc especially in the adolescents and young adults which has become the major concern and challenge across various countries including India. In this view, present research article focuses on predicting factors of internet addiction, its aetiology and preventative measures. Literature review shows some prominent associated factors of internet addiction but contextual factors also play vital role. Large scale based empirical studies are suggested to achieve the clear understanding.
... Loneliness is prevalent among young people, particularly those aged 16-24 (Qualter et al. 2015). It is a distressing emotional state caused by a perceived discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships (Perlman and Peplau 1981). Previous studies have indicated that low social capital, particularly in terms of low trust, may be a risk factor for loneliness (Nyqvist et al. 2016). ...
Objective
This study aims to examine the longitudinal association between trust, life satisfaction, and loneliness, particularly at the within‐person level.
Method
We employed Random Intercept Cross‐Lagged Panel Models (RI‐CLPM) to distinguish stable between‐person differences from within‐person fluctuations. A total of 1148 students ( M age = 18.46 ± 0.96 years; 63.41% women) from six Chinese universities participated in a six‐wave, 3‐year survey.
Results
Trust declined slightly over time. At the between‐person level, trust was positively related to life satisfaction and negatively related to loneliness. At the within‐person level, life satisfaction at T2, T3, and T4 positively predicted trust at T3, T4, and T5, respectively, and trust at T3 positively predicted life satisfaction at T4; trust at T4 and T5 negatively predicted loneliness at T5 and T6, respectively, and loneliness at T4 negatively predicted trust at T5. In addition, exploratory analysis indicated that loneliness may mediate the effect of trust on life satisfaction.
Conclusions
These findings expand our understanding of the link between social capital and health outcomes from a within‐person dynamic perspective, suggesting that enhancing social capital and well‐being may be mutually beneficial. Comprehensive student support programs that promote trust‐building and reduce loneliness may be more effective in promoting overall well‐being and social bonding.
Objectives
The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the available qualitative evidence relating to adolescent loneliness (aged 10–19) when a parent has cancer. This included considering how adolescents experience loneliness when their parent has cancer and exploring the perceived factors that influence this experience.
Methods
A qualitative systematic literature review was conducted to synthesise and critically evaluate loneliness in adolescents experiencing parental cancer. The JBI qualitative systematic review approach was followed throughout, including quality appraisal, data extraction and a meta‐aggregative synthesis. The reports were screened by two independent reviewers and conflicts were resolved by a third reviewer. The review was pre‐registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023409596).
Results
A total of 17 papers were included, published between 2007–2024. Findings indicate that young people experiencing parental cancer are lonely and deal with overwhelming emotions alone. Loneliness is intensified by a lack of understanding from peers and family constrained communication. Family and social support may protect young people against experiencing loneliness.
Conclusions
Although there is a dearth of research on parental cancer which has focused on loneliness in this population, the analysis revealed that experiences of loneliness are indeed apparent in this cohort. Future research should focus on interviewing this population to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their lived experience.
Background: Loneliness is a public health concern. Despite the increasing attention paid to loneliness globally, knowledge regarding the condition in Korea is scarce. This study aims to examine the correlates of loneliness and social isolation among Korean adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a nationally representative sample of adults aged 30 years and older from the 2021 National Mental Health Survey of Korea (N = 4696). The survey used the six-item loneliness and social isolation scale (LSIS-6) to assess loneliness and social isolation between June and August, 2021. Two ordinary least squares regression models were conducted. Model 1 included socio-demographic variables as correlates of loneliness and social isolation. Model 2 added a range of mental health conditions, such as depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, alcohol-use disorder, nicotine-use disorders, and physical inactivity. Mental health was measured in relation to whether the participant had experienced each disorder in his/her lifetime. Results: A total of 34.4% of participants reported that they felt lonely at least occasionally. After all adjustments, the experience of mental health conditions was associated with an increase in the LSIS-6 score (B = 2.32 for depressive disorder, B = 0.59 for anxiety disorder, B = 0.36 for both alcohol-use disorder and nicotine-use disorder; p < 0.01). In addition, greater loneliness and social isolation were associated with male gender, older age, a lower educational level, non-married status, a lower household income, having a smaller number of children, having a greater number of chronic conditions, and taking less frequent walks per week. Conclusions: In conclusion, loneliness is prevalent among Korean adults. Loneliness and social isolation correlated significantly with socio-demographic characteristics and the experience of mental health conditions.
Background
The increasing urgency to address rising loneliness among adolescents has become a critical issue, underscoring the need for further studies on its association with mental and physical health. The objective was to examine the changes in loneliness and its relation to mental and physical health issues in three adolescent age groups.
Methods
A total sample of 14,588 Czech pupils (50.7% boys, mean age 13.6 ± 1.7 years) in grades 5, 7 and 9 was used from a representative dataset of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The network analysis based on undirected graphical models was used as an exploratory technique to assess and test the structure of the data.
Results
The association between loneliness and health decreased with age. There was a significant positive association between loneliness, feeling low, and irritability. No significant direct association between loneliness and physical health complaints was found.
Conclusion
Further studies, preferably of longitudinal character, are needed to confirm the changes in associations between loneliness and mental and physical health outcomes.
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