The Interplay of Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms Across Adolescence: Exploring the Role of Personality Traits

Abstract

Based on current theories of depression, reciprocal links between loneliness and depressive symptoms are expected to occur. However, longitudinal studies on adolescent samples are scarce and have yielded conflicting results. The present five-wave longitudinal study from mid- to late adolescence (N=428, M age at T1=15.22 years; 47% female) examined the direction of effect between loneliness and depressive symptoms, using cross-lagged path analysis. In addition, the robustness of these prospective associations was tested by examining the role of the Big Five personality traits (i.e., extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness) as explaining factors and moderators. Results indicated that loneliness and depressive symptoms influenced one another reciprocally, and these reciprocal associations were not attributable to their mutual overlap with personality traits. In addition, neuroticism was found to be a moderator, in that the bidirectional effects between loneliness and depressive symptoms were only found in adolescents high in neuroticism. Practical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are outlined.

Social Connectedness Predicts Lower Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms over Time in Adolescents

“…This current study highlights the need for intervention research aimed at helping adolescents who experience chronic loneliness. Parents and school counsellors should be attentive to signs of chronic loneliness in their children or students before it evolves into serious bouts of depression (Vanhalst et al, 2012). Prevention programs that emphasise the promotion of family connectedness and school-based interventions that facilitate the development and maintenance of meaningful relationships over time, offer great potential in reducing adolescent's social isolation and are likely to yield longterm psychological benefits (Hall-Lande et al, 2007;Jose et al, 2012).…”

“…The question of whether relationships among adolescents' loneliness and depressive symptoms are moderated by gender is interesting and germane. Although adolescent females tend to self-report higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms, some studies report that the strengths of the association between loneliness and depressive symptoms are similar for boys and girls Olsson et al, 2013;Vanhalst et al, 2012). In their studies with the elderly, Cacioppo, Hughes et al (2006) found that the association between loneliness and depressive symptoms was strong and significant for both males and females, but the association was significantly stronger for males.…”

“…For example, the significant links between loneliness and a wide range of mental health difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-injury, and alcohol and substance misuse) and physical health issues (e.g., poor immune and cardiovascular functioning, sleep deprivation) have been consistently demonstrated in adolescents (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006;Shevlin, Murphy, Mallet, Stringer, & Murphy, 2013). Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have found that loneliness is significantly correlated with depressive symptoms across time in children and adolescents (Hall-Lande, Eisenberg, Christenson, & NeumarkSztainer, 2007;Nangle, Erdley, Newman, Mason, & Carpenter, 2003;Qualter, Brown, Munn, & Rotenberg, 2010;Rotenberg et al, 2004;Vanhalst et al, 2012). Mahon et al (2006) reported that the correlation between loneliness and depressive symptoms in adolescents was in the range of a large effect size (r = 0.61 to 0.62).…”

“…and Rotenberg et al (2004) found that depressive symptoms predicted subsequent feelings of loneliness in adolescence, but not vice versa. Vanhalst et al (2012) attributed the lack of consistent cross-temporal associations between loneliness and depression to the short assessment time span (i.e., months or a single year), and they consequently conducted a study examining the reciprocal link across a longer time-span, covering the developmental period from mid-to late-adolescence. Notably, Vanhalst et al found a reciprocal relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms from mid-to lateadolescence, with the direction from loneliness to depressive symptoms being stronger than the reverse order.…”

Loneliness Effects on Personality: Preprint

“…Feeling lonely is consequential for individuals and has been identified as a predictor of a broad array of health-related outcomes including objective health risk factors (e.g., elevated blood pressure, elevated number of inflammatory markers; Hawkley, Burleson, Berntson, & Cacioppo, 2003;Hawkley, Thisted, Masi, & Cacioppo, 2010;Shankar, McMunn, Banks, & Steptoe, 2011), health-relevant behaviors (e.g., smoking, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption; Åkerlind & Hörnquist, 1992;DeWall & Pond, 2011;Hawkley, Thisted, & Cacioppo, 2009;Lauder, Mummery, Jones, & Caperchione, 2006;Shankar et al, 2011), and depression (Cacioppo, Cacioppo, Hughes, Waite, Hawkley, & Thisted, 2006;Qualter, Brown, Munn, & Rotenberg, 2010;Russell, Cutrona, Rose, & Yurko, 1984;Vanhalst et al, 2012).…”