What Leads to Loneliness? An Integrative Model of Social, Motivational, and Emotional Approaches in Adolescents

Abstract

Loneliness has been linked to many physical and mental health problems, especially during adolescence. From evolutionary, social needs, and cognitive approaches, this study examined whether emotional repair, relatedness need, and peer-rated indicators of relations behave in predicting loneliness, considering all approaches together. The sample consisted of 373 adolescents measured longitudinally at three time points. Results of a cross-lagged panel design found that, considering all the influences together, relatedness need showed the highest strength to predict loneliness. Furthermore, adolescents who were accepted by their peers and whose relatedness need was satisfied activated emotional regulation which additionally produced a decrease in prospective feelings of loneliness. In addition, loneliness has been shown to be a consequence of these variables.

Loneliness in childhood and adolescence. On the prevalence of a mental health risk factor among 11- to 15-year-old German students

“…Einige dieser mit Einsamkeit assoziierten Faktoren lassen sich auch in den etablierten Ursachentheorien von Einsamkeit wiederfinden. Demnach besagt der soziale Bedürfnisse-Ansatz , dass sich Einsamkeit aufgrund einer mangelnden Befriedigung der individuellen Bedürfnisse nach sozialen oder emotionalen Beziehungen entwickelt [ 18 , 19 ]. Der kognitive Ansatz geht davon aus, dass Einsamkeit dann entsteht, wenn eine Diskrepanz zwischen den vorhandenen und den subjektiv gewünschten sozialen Beziehungen existiert [ 4 , 18 ].…”