An Investigation of Loneliness and Perceived Social Support Among Single and Partnered Young Adults

Abstract

This study investigated the possible differences between single individuals and individuals in nonmarital romantic relationships in the domains of emotional (romantic and family) and social loneliness, and of perceived social support from family, friends and significant others. Based on a Polish university-student sample of 315 participants (167 women and 148 men) aged 19 to 25 years (M = 21.90, SD = 2.15), single relationship status was related to greater romantic and family loneliness, and to less perceived social support from significant others and family. Women reported a lower level of social loneliness and a higher level of perceived social support in comparison to men. Relationship status interacted with gender in predicting perceived social support from significant others and friends. Finally, the duration of remaining single and significant others’ support were found to be predictive of single young adults’ romantic loneliness. In addition, perceived social support from family and significant others were found to moderate the relationship between the duration of remaining single and romantic loneliness. In particular, high family support and medium-high support from significant others mitigated the negative impact of being single for a long time on romantic loneliness.

Psychometric analysis of the short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) among Palestinian university students

“…In a meta-analysis social support emerged as a significant predictor of loneliness with a medium effect size (Mahon et al, 2006). This is consistent with studies which demonstrated that perceived social support is a relevant construct in reducing loneliness (Adamczyk, 2016;Chen et al, 2014). In sum, the pattern of correlations found between loneliness and self-esteem, satisfaction with life and social support is consistent with the predictions, suggesting that the ULS-6 fulfils the validity criterion.…”

Social Support Among Male Undergraduates: A Systematic Review

“…A total of 30 studies were found that adhered to the inclusion criteria set for the systematic review. Of these, 16 focused on social support and psychological outcomes (Abu-Kaf et al, 2018;Adamczyk, 2015;Bíró, Veres-Balajti, & Kósa, 2016;Ceglarek & Ward, 2016;Frison & Eggermont, 2015;Kim, Kim, & Lee, 2016;Llamas, Morgan Consoli, Hendricks, & Nguyen, 2018;Marhamah & Hamzah, 2016;Ng, Wang, & Chan, 2017;Roohafza et al, 2016;Tang & Dai, 2018;Vungkhanching, Tonsing, & Tonsing, 2016;Wang, Sun, & Wang, 2016;Wongtongkam, 2019;Yıldırım, Karaca, Cangur, Acıkgoz, & Akkus, 2017;You, Lim, & Kim, 2017); 3 focused on social support and academic achievement (Bai et al, al., 2018; Rodríguez et al, 2017); 4 focused on social support and technology use (Deechuay, Koul, Maneewan & Lerdpornkulrat, 2016;Gökçearslan, Uluyol & Şahin, 2018;Shah, Siddiqui & Ansari, 2016;; 4 focused on sources of social support (Bhochhibhoya et al, 2017;Chuah & Singh, 2016;Lee & Goldstein, 2016;Rios & Eaton, 2016); and 3 focused exclusively on gender differences in social support (Lin, 2016;Zamani-Alavijeh, Raeesi Dehkordi, & Shahry, 2017;Zhang, Zhapng, Zhang, Zhang, & Feng, 2018). All studies except one were quantitative.…”

What factors attract people to play romantic video games?

“…In addition to not feeling good about the self overall, experiencing loneliness has an important influence on relationship formation. A key factor causing loneliness-particularly for young people-is the lack of a romantic partner [15]. In fact, romantic relationship status directly influences romantic loneliness, and unfulfilled belongingness correlates with a fear of being single [15].…”

“…A key factor causing loneliness-particularly for young people-is the lack of a romantic partner [15]. In fact, romantic relationship status directly influences romantic loneliness, and unfulfilled belongingness correlates with a fear of being single [15]. Thus, having a romantic partner can reduce the feeling of loneliness and improve the feeling of security.…”